Customer wants the old oil tank left in the basement after the gas conversion

Basement tank first. Empty is never empty, kid. There's always sludge and some oil in the bottom. Leave it and it leaks someday, or the next buyer's inspector flags it. On most of our conversions the tank comes out: pumped, cleaned, cut up, hauled. Your town may want a permit for the removal. Tell him your boss will price it, and don't let him keep it "for later."

Electrical side note: the oil burner circuit and its emergency switch should be removed or properly reused during the conversion. I've seen dead burner switches left at the top of the stairs for decades confusing everybody. Label it or remove it.

On the buried tank, from my experience in NJ: - Ask the seller for paperwork. "Abandoned" without a permit and closure paperwork from the town means very little - If there's any sign of a leak, it becomes a cleanup, and in NJ that brings in DEP rules and certified contractors - His attorney and insurance company should hear about it before closing, not after - None of this is yours to sort out. Send him to his attorney and a tank company

And on the buried one, I'd want it pulled and the soil tested before I bought that house.

Because old steel in wet soil eventually leaks, and nobody knows when. When it does, the cleanup can get very expensive, and it can land on the homeowner. That's why buyers here do tank sweeps, and why sellers get nervous about them.

That's how you do it. My father used to say the customer remembers how you said it more than what you said.

On who actually does the tank work: mostly a separate company. On our commercial jobs it's always a sub with its own insurance for that work. Here's what I look for in that sub: their permits and paperwork, every time.

Respectfully, Ziggy, pulling isn't always the answer on buried tanks. Some are under a porch, an addition or a driveway, and abandonment in place, done properly with a permit and soil sampling, is what gets done. The paperwork is the thing. Depends on the town.

Fair, Rui. If it can't come out, it's done on paper. My point is "abandoned years ago" with no paper isn't abandoned.

had one in deptford where the customer's homeowners insurance didn't cover the leak. paid out of pocket. appreciate this thread

dumb question, why is a buried tank such a big deal if it's just sitting there? like if it's not leaking what's the problem? and who even checks

talked to him today. basement tank is coming out, boss is pricing it. told him the yard one is a lawyer question. he actually listened lol. thier inspector already told them the same thing so that helped

We're in the middle of our own conversion and tank removal was in all three quotes. Reading this, I'm glad it was.