It's time to take a look under the hood at the safety of underground storage tanks

1. Is It Time We Re-examined The Oil Tank Safety?
Back in 2008 there was a lawsuit in British Columbia, where a new homeowner sued another for
damages caused by a leaky underground oil tank. By the time the lawsuit was settled, the former
homeowner was facing having to pay $160,000.
Most BC homeowners aren't aware that they can be held liable for any
contamination that happens during their ownership, even years after the
property has been sold.
So if you are selling a property, you will be held responsible for full-on
decontamination regardless of how long it has been since the house
went up for sale. If not, the costs of litigation and any additional
proceedings will be added to the decontamination costs at the statutory
owner's expense (often yours).
If you discover you have a leak, you will be required by law to stop it,
and decontaminate the soil
However, it’s important to make sure no bylaws are being violated during the decontamination
process, and this is where things can get dicey.
Depending on the municipality rules can be dramatically different, and costs associated with oil
tank removal can vary quite a bit. For example, in West Vancouver there are twice as many steps
a homeowner needs to take when removing the oil tank in comparison to most other areas of
Vancouver.
On top of that, West Vancouver requires a City Hall permit that currently costs hundreds of
dollars, whereas the same permit can be obtained for half that cost elsewhere in GVRD.
So what can you do if unsure about the existence of an oil tank on the property, and when faced
with a sale?
Laws change, so it's probably a good idea to call a local oil tank removal company in your area
and ask. These companies are required by law to make sure all the permits are valid before any
work is done, and carry liabilities that can put them out of business, so they stay in the loop of
any by-law changes. This may very well be something that your realtor will suggest.
Most homeowners don’t realize is that an oil tank removal company can save quite a bit of
money when removing the tank. These savings come as a result of trade agreements between
waste disposal organizations and them, which in turn allows you to keep your costs down.
And as some conservative estimates show that as much as 30% of all underground residential oil
tanks leak, it's often times a great savings to the homeowner who discovers the problem early
and rectifies it quickly.

2. If not, keep in mind that there is a great deal of moisture in the air contained within the tank. This
vapour condenses into water which naturally flows down to the bottom of the tank.
Once settled, it can't evaporate and will over time cause rust holes to occur. In some cases this
occurs suddenly when right conditions are met - for example, as the oxygen from water is
bonded to the metal, the free hydrogen molecules can bond to other compounds and form acids
that trigger a runaway train scenario.
Sometimes holes in oil tank can be patched up, however it's probably too late for that since the
leaks have already occurred, and the patch simply delays the inevitable.
If you suspect you might have an oil tank on your property, call an oil tank removal company
and ask them for help. A reputable company will always provide you with a free quote and
should have no problems locating your oil tank for you.