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How many home owners regret not having their property investigated for the presence of a UST before they bought the property?

The answer is: too many.

Too many home owners are finding out, when they decide to sell, that savvy buyers are requiring the propert to be free of USTs, above ground storage tanks (ASTs), and soil contamination, or to at least have from the State documentation stating that no further environmental assessment or remediation will be required. If only their home inspector had identified the possibility that a UST existed on the property at one time, the owner may have been able to avoid assuming any environmental liability before buying the property.

A home inspector who knows what to look for in identifying the past or current presence of a UST on a property can offer his clients an added measure of protection. In today's business world, the home inspector that can point out more existing problem areas is the inspector that will save his clients more money and, more importantly to the inspector, receive the greatest number of referrals.

I think it is safe to say that just about everyone in the market for an older house, or one that has already been built, sees only the surficial qualities of the home, such as style, location, amenities, and other issues of personal taste. Once the decision to purchase is made, the buyer relies on professionals to inspect the house in the areas that are important to protecting the buyers investment. Having the home inspected by a licensed professional is top priority on just about everyone's list. A termite inspection is usually second on the list. And, other professionals may be called in to investigate possible problem areas, especially at the recommendation of the home inspector.

How many home buyers think to call someone who is familiar with the issues of underground heating oil storage tanks (USTs)?

The answer is: not many.

The first two clues to the presence of a UST, or past usage of heating oil, are the home's age and location. Age - many homes built prior to 1960, before natural gas became popular, used heating oil. Location - older subdivisions where oil was the popular choice for heat, and rural areas not served by natural gas.

Petroleum odors and stains in the basement or crawlspace - the odor of heating oil stays around a long time, especially when some has spilled or leaked into the soils or onto the floor under the house.

Fuel delivery lines - two copper or steel pipelines, usually about 3/8 inch in diameter, may still be in place, sometimes clipped off at the foundation wall.

Patched holes in the foundation wall - frequently, the fuel delivery and return lines will be clipped off at the wall and the hole patched. Or, if the tank was located under the house, larger holes where the fill and vent pipes were located may have been patched.

Coal chute is present - most homes that originally heated with coal converted to fuel oil in the 1940's and 1950's.

Rectangular depressions - under the house, a partially buried tank may have been removed (odors should be obvious when this is the case, unless the tank did not leak); outside the house, a removed tank would be less obvious, unless done recently.

Fill and vent pipes - often rusted away or hidden by vegetation.

Presence of an above ground tank (AST) - frequently, an AST is installed to replace a leaking UST.

Note: home inspectors in North Carolina are not required to investigate and/or identify the past or current use of petroleum underground storage tanks. The information on this website is presented for the educational benefit of the inspector and buyer who wishes to use such information as they see fit. SSE strongly recommends having a property evaluated and/or inspected for the presence of a UST or past usage by an experienced, licensed environmental consultant, such as Mark Hosler, prior to the purchase of the property.