Fuel Tank

[Bill Penn]

I inspected a home built in 1970 yesterday. By the side of the driveway were 3 pipes sticking out of the ground and one had a flammable liquid pump attached. It is not for heating oil. The neighbor was outside watching as I removed the cap to check it with my combustable gas detector. He indicated the builder (back when the home was built) installed it to fuel his equipment.

So a few questions: because this was either deisel or gas, are there special rules for removal?

What is the protacol for removal?

Thanks.

[Rolland Pruner]

Advise all to contact applicable building dept for safety!

[Garry Blankenship]

Seems like way too much work and expense just for construction purposes. There is a word / name / title for handling this that escapes me, ( underground storage tank remediation or somethin like that ). Certified businesses exist for this. I sold a home in Seattle that had an old discontinued UST for a once used oil fired furnace. The company I hired pumped out the fuel, filled the tank with a slurry, ( concrete mixture ), and gave me a certified letter of remediation. I forget the exact cost but definitely less than $ 1,000.00, ( $ 500 ? ). The known or suspected presence of a UST is a big deal and much exposure to a seller, if not disclosed. The cost of remediating soil contamination can be off the charts.

[Raymond Wand]

If the tank is leaking there is a problem. But that cannot be determined with out further tests.

The vendor should be responsible for providing permits, records, diagrams, and should further provide that the tank is sound and legal as per your state code requirements. If there are problems uncovered then the vendor will be liable.

Otherwise the purchaser would be foolish in my view to proceed with the purchase given the UST and unkown state.

It is imperative your purchase with your assistance be provided with the right info in order for them to make an informed diligent decision.

[Matt Fellman]

Around here (Oregon) it's all supervised by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The rules/regs for testing soil for leakage seem be getting increasingly more complex. From an HI standpoint just make your buyer aware and get them headed in the right direction and you've done more than what's expected.

[H.G. Watson, Sr.]

(Illinois, Office of the) State Fire Marshall:

Statutes and Rules (http://www.sfm.illinois.gov/commercial/ust/rules.aspx)

Gasoline Storage Act:
Â*Â* (http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1646&ChapAct=430Â) ILCSÂ 15/&ChapterID=39&ChapterName=PUBLIC+SAFETY&ActName=Gasoline+Storage+Act.

Â*Â* (http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1646&ChapAct=430Â)

(430 ILCS 15/2)
Sec. 2. Jurisdiction; regulation of tanks.

(1) (d) The State Fire Marshal shall not prohibit the dispensing or delivery of flammable or combustible motor vehicle fuels directly into the fuel tanks of vehicles from tank trucks, tank wagons, or other portable tanks. The State Fire Marshal shall adopt rules (i) for the issuance of permits for the dispensing of motor vehicle fuels in the manner described in this paragraph (d), (ii) that establish fees for permits and inspections, and provide for those fees to be deposited into the Fire Prevention Fund, (iii) that require the dispensing of motor fuel in the manner described in this paragraph (d) to meet conditions consistent with nationally recognized standards such as those of the National Fire Protection Association, and (iv) that restrict the dispensing of motor vehicle fuels in the manner described in this paragraph (d) to the following:
(A) agriculture sites for agricultural purposes,


(B) construction sites for refueling construction equipment used at the construction site,


(C) sites used for the parking, operation, or maintenance of a commercial vehicle fleet, but only if the site is located in a county with 3,000,000 or more inhabitants or a county contiguous to a county with 3,000,000 or more inhabitants and the site is not normally accessible to the public, and


(D) sites used for the refueling of police, fire, or emergency medical services vehicles or other vehicles that are owned, leased, or operated by (or operated under contract with) the State, a unit of local government, or a school district, or any agency of the State and that are not normally accessible to the public.
(2) (a) The Office of the State Fire Marshal shall adopt rules and regulations regarding underground storage tanks and associated piping and no municipality or other political subdivision shall adopt or enforce any ordinances or regulations regarding such underground tanks and piping other than those which are identical to the rules and regulations of the Office of the State Fire Marshal. It is declared to be the law of this State, pursuant to paragraphs (h) and (i) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution, that the establishment and enforcement of standards regarding underground storage tanks and associated piping within the jurisdiction of the Office of the State Fire Marshal is an exclusive State function which may not be exercised concurrently by a home rule unit except as expressly permitted in this Act.

HTH get you started.