Just wondering who does tank removal? What crudentials (if any) do you need in your state/town? I have been looking into the idea a little, but believe their are some Haz Mat Classes required or something along the lines before you can qualify to legally pull tanks in Connecticut. For those that are involved in it, what is your best source of jobs? Real estate agents, home inspectors, oil companies?
Reading this would be a good place to start. It's not something I've ever done (legally), but it's awfully strictly regulated....
I think each state would be different it's probably a good side line to get into. I'm not sure if you would need hazmatt stuff because any oil left you call for a oil pick up ,you scrape and wipe tank clean then bring to scrap yard but you do need to have a sign off from the fire dept maybe need a special lic. and i know you need a permit. I did the excavation on my own tank and pulled it with the fire dept standing right next the tank as it was pulled but had a guy that does it do the permits and oild removal.
I think the big headache is that, often times you're removing it becasue it's gone bad, and you need to test the soil for contamination. That can be a BIG problem, and lead to mega, mega buck costs, especially if you were to say, contaminate somebody's well water. A gazilliion dollars in insurance is a must. I looked into it years ago, and if I recall correctly, the person with the license has to be on site at all times too. If he walks across the street to grab a coffee, you can be fined. At least that's the case here in PA.
soil contamination is a biggie here to luckly our tank was good 2000 gal and he stayed on site.Our tank was over 4' deep from top cover to top of tank plus it was encased in sand for better drainage so no stones , it lasted a long time 30 + years here and was probably 5-7 years old before we had got it. I think you have to have that licesnse that says you can pull tanks .This guy does it all with a mini and a bobcat 2 guy operation . unless he hits a snag like ground contamination (more $$ for him) he's out of there real fast
Pulling oil tanks is a big deal here aswell the enviromental nuts have so many rules created if you had a leaker and the soil was contaminated look out. Most tanks were above ground for us so that is good news its easier to get rid of. I did a job where a person had 6 oil tanks and one buried tank. The buried tank was a pain to remove because I had to dig it out by hand. The soil was contaminated but we left it be. One of the local gas stations was shut down 12 years ago or more the soil was contaminated. What a major disaster the site still isn't used today the enviroment company still drills and test the soil yearly. The owners of the property had to give it away to the oil company that supplied them with the fuel. The property owners couldn't afford the 300-400,000 dollar enviromental clean up. The soil contamination wasn't entirely their fault because years ago before they bought the place the previous owner used to dump used engine oil etc in the back yard. That was common practice back in the 50s to the 80s. The old fuel tanks that held the gas and diesel leaked too they were old steel tanks and the oil company refused to help the people that owned the station replace them with new tanks. The soil contaminated with gas was trucked to a place that deals with contaminated soils. The stuff contaminated with diesel fuel and engine oil was treated on site and covered with tarps for 12 years. The site still has a couple years to go before there is even consideration of using it again. The oil company now owns a chunk of commercial property that is worth 600,000 dollars back in the early 90s it was only worth 200,000. In my mind the gov't officials are making a big deal out of oil tank removals to fill their own pockets. More paper work and burocracy they can create the better. You put the words "enviromental clean up" in the picture the price skyrockets. The gov't wants the people removing the tanks certified so they can collect licensing fees from the contractor.
We do the odd oil tank job and your best place to start getting your name around at is the insurance companies.The second part of your worries is where to transport the contaminated material,here in my city we take it to a contactor so he can burn it it costs $50/ton Canadian but in the states I have no clue how your procedures are best bet is to find out from the department of environment. Also not shure on your area but mine its 1 years experience with a licensed installer kept in a log book then you can write the installers test yourself thats best asked again by the D.O.E Here I've never been on the job with a fire dept. member nearby just hot university girls doing summer internships lol.
Yeah, but you think that about everything the government does. Back in about 1980, I was on a site where we dug up probably a dozen tanks of various sizes, and with varying amounts of product still present. (And I know where ther's still one--probably the oldest of them all, still there.) We rolled them over and let the stuff drain into the ground, before yanking them out. That was what the people paying the bills said to do. The developer got rid of them by putting an ad in the paper; free, you haul them away. No government involvement at all. Do you think that was a better way to handle them?
i think you'll find that OSHA requires EVERYBODY on the job but truck drivers who do not leave their cabs.....to have the 40 hr. haz mat class....at a cost of "here anyway".....$600 per person...that does not include your travel, lodging, if it is not in your community.
I don't think it's a bad think that they want you to do it the right way, but they don't make it easy to do it and then bust your chops when something does go wrong ,especially if there was a leak they would sooner drain you dry$$ than help you.
I beleive there should be some regulations on removing tanks but don't make it so the homeowner has to re-mortgage the house to pay for the removal. Soil contaminated with furnace oil isn't that bad compared to regular gasoline. I know with some of the contaminated soil they super heat it and it burns the oil out and its clean again or clean enough to be buried in a landfill. Even using a tiger torch will burn oil or stove oil out of the dirt if you spread it in a thin layer and start burning the dirt. I know new regulations require anybody with oil heat has to replace their old tanks with new above ground units. Also if you sell your house you need to remove any old oil tanks before its sold.
I have been present on a few as a fireman as is required by our town. We have the fire marshall and a truck with two volunteers who then get paid as a special service. I think one of the reasons that only large companies are doing legal tank removals (around here anyway) is because of all that is required. Too much for a smaller company to afford to have in certifications, insurance, etc before making any money.
In NY,if it's 1100 gallons or smaller,used for domestic heating oil,the DEC doesn't even get involved as long as when you pull it,there's no standing oil in the ground.If there is,you have up to 2 hours to notify them.Lots of realtors making people running scared lately with these letters of abandonement,which really is a joke.I 've pulled quite a few--never had problems.