Realestate

Question: 1st time home buyer, trying to avoid oil tanks, share your knowledge!?

(Posted by: claytuner on 2008-02-02 18:37:55)

I am in Milwaukee looking at a house built in 1955 It has gas heating but MIGHT have an underground oil tank which could be under the driveway (if my logic is right) . Our offer has been accepted and since I do not want the headaches of an oil tank removal I need help finding out if there is one, 1) During the home inspection we came across about a 2- 3 " diameter by 2 foot long steel pipe with a threaded end coming out of the foundation in the basement ( on the inside ) inspector said there might be an UNDERGROUND tank. (there is not one inside) this is what the pipe looks like (the bigger one) I found a pic of a similar pipe, this is not my setup http:/ / www.inspect- ny.com/ oiltanks/ smallvent.jpg 2) concrete slabs run around the whole house. I cannot find any vent or fill pipes in logical areas on the outside of the house 3) Two neighbors say "all the houses on the street are from1955- 1957 " they say that the homes used to have them inside, What should we look for? Thanks for the helpful info! Yahoo cut me off at a certain number of characters so I couldnt expound as much as I wanted to. I agree with what you said about the 3/ 8 " lines coming in the house also about trusting the neighbors and I appreciate the info about the alternative to removal. The reason I can't find out from the previous owner is because it is a bank foreclosure. Most all of the homes we have looked at had oil tanks in the basement of the house. I will have to go back in the house when it is lighter and now that I have understood more about tanks ( i had no idea they existed before last month) and look for more evidence while the realtor tries to check on some records. Thanks Again!

Posted by: Old Fool on 2008-02-02, 21:20:14

Their should not be an underground tank. Just ask the old owner or the real-estate agent. The inspector just wants to recommend a friend to do another inspection and get a finders fee. Another thing you could do is find a sticker on the gas furnace and call the guys that install the gas heat, they should know. You could ask one of the neighbors if they still have there oil tank and look at their pipes.

Posted by: lordshaiths on 2008-02-02, 18:45:41

Thasounds like the fill line from outide to an internal tank, they probably pulled the riser pipe out and filled the hole in. usually if a tank is burried there will be 1 or 2 3/ 8 lines coming in from outside (suction and return)

Posted by: doane_nut on 2008-02-02, 18:50:59

If the tank is buried, the fill pipe would also be outside, not inside the basement. Is the supply line still around coming in side? What does the seller say? Be blunt and ask them outright as the last thing you want is a leaker on your property.

Posted by: lowlifelynn on 2008-02-02, 18:52:20

Here in Michigan the law is if there is a tank buried the owners have to make this known in the disclosure papers. When we bought I present home the disclosure stated that there was a buried oil tank 8 feet from the house but it had been emptied and filled with sand so there is no danger to the environment. It could be possible that in your case that the tank was in the basement at one time.

Posted by: jphilipre on 2008-02-02, 18:52:53

If the pipe leads into the foundation/ basement then I'd hang my hat on the neighbors observations that the tank was in the basement than the inspector's conjecture. First, check the inside of the basement where the pipe leads to see any evidence of the pipe entering and this may well be where a tank once was. If so, you have no underground tank, at least from that pipe. Inspectors are notorious for getting this sort of thing wrong. Hire the company that tests oil tanks to come out and give their advice. Chances are that they have not only serviced the area and know the homes, but know far more about this type of layout than a general home inspector. In short, you need a specialist to look at the whole picture and give you their input. Worst case scenario, if they do locate an underground oil tank, you don't necessarily have a big problem. Tanks aren't a problem; contamination is. The tank can be professionally filled with sand and rendered inert (harmless) by the same company for far less than the cost of removal. This is, of course once they ascertain that this is feasible and there is no spill, leakage or cleanup required. Last thought- If the person you are buying the home from bought it themself in the past 10 years then their mortgage company probably checked things out as a condition of closing when they first bought it.

Posted by: Bill on 2008-02-02, 19:17:10

I'm guessing that the old oil tank was in the basement and the line coming through the wall is a fill line, as the oil man wouldn't come through your house and into your basement with a 1-1/ 2 inch dirty oily hose to fill the tank, if it had a tank outside the line coming in the basement would be a 3/ 8 in. copper line if the house was built in 1955-or in that time era. The inspector doesn't seem to be able to think very well to me

Posted by: tania_d_ann on 2008-02-02, 19:29:15

It should be detailed in you deed or at least in your survey if not DO NOT BUY without finding this out first. With all of the Environmental stuff getting harder and harder to get around I don't see how you can still have a tank under ground anymore

Posted by: ZRX1200 on 2008-02-02, 19:52:17

Our house was built in 1960 and still has fuel oil for heat. The your looking at is the fill line from the outside. You should be able to see some evidence of the feet from the tank on the floor. Unless the basement was finished, most people left the tank inside to keep it in good condition. Last thing you want is a leaking fuel oil tank outside. If the pipes are at about the same height on the wall I would say you have the fill pipe. Keep in mind, most of the fuel oil systems were gravity feed. If the pipe is that high off the floor, you'd have to have a pump to feed the furnace. If the pipe was coming in at floor level, I would say you might have an outside tank. If the pipe is high up on the wall, the previous owners just removed the tank when they switched to gas.

Posted by: jim1 on 2008-02-02, 21:25:27

Probably why the last owner let the bank fore close obviously you are gettin a good deal on it buying it from foreclosure sale some poor guy probably paid on it half his life to get it to that point now you come along and want him to roll you a red carpet

Posted by: tech7435 on 2008-02-03, 06:45:36

If the 2 " lines are in the basement than the tank was originally in the basement. Chances are that someone removed the oil tank from the basement and left the fill thru the wall. Can you see the fill or vent outside? It may have been partially removed and concreted over. I would cut pipes off flush inside and patch over with patching cement(concrete)