Hot Environmental Topics

Protecting your interest when you buy a property is called Due Diligence and one of the most important due diligence steps you can take is performing a tank sweep with GPR. 

Why perform a tank sweep?

Most homes built before 1980 likely had oil heat at one time, so 90% of single-family homes likely had oil heat in the past, possible several owners before.  Oil tank are made of metal, they rust, they leak and it can cost thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars to cleanup.  You don't want to buy a home that has an oil tank liability.

The home in this photo series is  circa 1920's, so oil usage was 100%. 

Buyers were told the basement had two ASTs (Aboveground Storage Tanks), that were removed. This photo shows where the ASTs were located in the basement.

But just because a property had an AST doesn't mean the site didn't have a UST (underground storage tank). 

So why bother to do a tank sweep for a property where there is documentation of former Aboveground Storage Tanks?  Simple nothing lasts forever and the older the property, the more likely that a tank may have had to be replaced.

Can you see evidence of a UST in this photo?   

It's obvious to the trained eye.

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All photos on this page are from the same property.     The buyers were told the home had oil heat, the oil tank was an Aboveground Tank in the basement, which was true but seller's failed to mention that the AST replaced an Underground Storage Tank (UST).  Or the owners didn't know that there was a UST since they didn't do a tank sweep when they bought the house.   Although the sellers had their own consultant use a metal detector to scan the site, which couldn't locate a UST.

Simple is not always best.  No doubt your current smart phone (phone, camera, computer, GPS, etc.) in your pocket is a vast improving from your phone of 10 years ago.  Most likely more expensive but it does so much more.

Having the best available technology also translate to an effective tank sweep.   A $225.00 tank sweep with an $800 metal detector, it not an effective tool for locating tanks, as the cost of the equipment can attest.

The sellers metal detector results?

The metal detector produced some deflection around the plant bed indicating a possible metal tank.    Curren scanned the area with GPR and fund the metal signature were the oil tank lines from the house to the tank. 

The metal detector then went over the adjacent driveway.  The findings?

The metal detector indicated a slight, faint response at a location about mid-way beneath the driveway directly in line with the remote fill. Due to the faint nature of the signal, possibly caused by wire or rebar in the concrete driveway pad, the location could not be defined.

When you need work performed you want to hire a professional with years of experience and the best possible tools for the job.  Curren was hired by the buyers to perform a GPR tank sweep.

Within the first 10 minutes of the Curren technician being on site, we were able to locate the remote oil tank fill which had been covered over with soil.   See photo below, the red tile probe is pointing to a round cap in the landscaping which is the tank fill.

If you were buying a commercial property, you would perform a tank sweep with GPR as that is the standard and most effective approach.  But if you are buying a commercial property, you are more experienced than the run of the mill buyer.

Curren scanned the driveway with GPR and located the tank, which the metal detector could not pin point.   Yes the owners recently redid the driveway and will have to dig up part of the new driveway to remove the tank.  Did the owners know the tank was present?

The tank is outlined in yellow lines in the photo below.  The tank was under reinforced (steel) concrete making the metal detector useless, but allowing the Ground Penetrating Radar to locate the tank.

The best service directly correlates to most experienced and using the best equipment.  Hiring chuck in a truck with an $800 metal detector, who also works out of their house, may offer an attractive price, but are you getting the best service?  Is the metal detector really the best device?

To be fair performing a Geophysical evaluation which is what a tank sweep is, can involve using multiple technologies.   When we find a buried anomaly (tank) we typically also verify the anomaly as metallic using two different metal detectors.  Trust me when you find a tank that a seller didn't know exists, they want to know it's a tank, confirming a metallic signature helps the medicine go down, it is just a metal detector should not be your only technology you rely upon.

The best tanks sweeps are performed by companies that also remove tanks.   There was no rhyme or reason as to where oil tanks were buried.  Removing tanks give you experience in how tanks are situated on a site.  Curren Environmental has been removing tanks for over 30 years and is licensed to remove tanks in 3 states.    We also have removed tens of thousands of tanks, so we know what we are looking for.

Why my filled in place tank has to be removed?

(aka Closed in place tank has to be removed to sell a property)

Every tank needs a report with testing to say the tank did not leak. Tanks abandoned in place avoid having testing performed which negates finding out if the tank did or did not leak.

Case in point, the above photo is a tank that was filled with foam.  You will notice that there are no access holes cut into the tank that would have allowed tank entry.  Yes you can see the large horizontal access hole Curren cut into the tank, but  no such hole was there before, which means the tank was never cleaned of residual oil.  See the oil in the tank and on the foam? You can see that to clean a tank you need elbow grease to go inside the tank, any oil left in a tank can leak in the future, hence why closed in place are removed.

Remember when people thought smoking was healthy?   There was a time when people and the tobacco industry didn’t openly speak of cigarettes as being unhealthy or addictive. This correlates to tanks that were previously filled in place without a “non-leaking certification”.   Few people want to find a problem, meaning their tank leaked, since problems have to be solved and that can cost money.   Oil tanks rust from the inside and out, and the cleanup of these leaks can cost thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars.

This tank was filled with sand, to absorb the oil in the tank, rain water filled the tank pushing the oil up and out into the soils.  $29,000 later the tank was removed and the soil remediated.

Many property owners either being naïve or savvy had their buried tanks filled in place years ago.  Believing or hoping that if they hired a company to fill their tank (not a DIY project) and getting a local permit in conjunction with township/municipal inspection the tank would never be an issue. Fast forward to today, same property is being sold and its owned by either the same people who filled the tank in place or a subsequent homeowner (who typically naively bought the property not understanding the tank liability) and now the buyer wants the tank removed and tested.

These are all reasons why today's buyers want oil tanks removed and tested, to prevent the tank from being an issue in the future.

Statements from property owners calling our office about their tank over the past 25 years.

1. I don’t want to remove the tank and find a problem, its legal to fill it in place, I want to do that.
2. Why do I want to test the tank and find a problem?
3. I want the tank filled in place, I don’t want testing.
4. My tank was filled in place but they put a camera into the tank before filling it in place.  (Absurd, but a few people a year say this)
5. My tank was filled in place and tested. (Unfortunately I can find the paperwork for filling the tank I just cant find the testing data.  (Because it was never tested)
6. My tank was tested before filling in place, but a different company did the testing and I can’t find the eating data.  (No one pays two companies to do something one company can do, unsurprisingly these people cant find anything regarding testing, contract, invoice cancelled check.  We call this unicorn paperwork, only the pure of heart can see it)
7. Removing the tank will disturb my prized lawn, bush, special tree, sprinkler line, flower bed, etc.   They never say it was a bad idea beautify the area above the oil tank.

A little history, in the 1990’s Federal regulations were established regarding commercial tanks (gas, diesel, kerosene, aviation fuel) and there were clauses where a commercial tank could not economically be removed that the tank could be filled in place, AFTER holes were created in the bottom of the tank allowing soil sampling for leaks to be obtained.  

These regulations created a tank removal/closure industry and established standards for tank removal and closure in place, these standards said evaluate for leaks, do testing, document (draft a report of the work), report leaks to appropriate government environmental agencies.   So companies doing  tank closure had a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).

These photos show coupons (holes) cut into bottom of tank for soil sampling.

Now these testing regulations didn’t apply to residential oil tanks, but there was an awareness that if a leak was discovered it was reportable and cleanup maybe necessary.  So property owners circumvented the proper course of action and instead of removing a tank, and potentially finding holes in the tank or smelling oil impacted soil, they chose the route of tank abandonment in place. While I can comment on every company doing tank work, but I am sure many recommended sampling due to future real estate transactions, but in the end, the companies get paid for doing tank work with or without sampling so you have thousands of tanks that were filled in place without testing that now have to be dealt with in a real estate transactions.  

We can personally  attest that Curren has always suggested soil sampling for tank removal or closure in place, some people deferred this testing.  About 17 years ago we made it policy, Curren won’t work on your tank if you don’t complete sampling.   We took this stance so property owners didn’t get stuck in a future sale and so people didn’t stick another person with a leaking tank. Unfortunately this was not followed by other companies.

Some 40% of tanks we have removed were tanks previously filled in place, so believe me if you have a property with a tank that was filled in place without testing, you will get it removed if you want to sell the property. 

No you can't climb inside a tank when filling it in place and see pin holes.  Ever get a flat tire?   Did you see the hole?   See the photo below?  This tank was removed, do you see any holes in the tank?

Well there were a few holes that were apparent after the dirt was scrapped off the tank.  If this tank was filled in place and remained in the ground, there holes would not have been apparent if the tank was not removed.

Many people like to present the local permit obtained for abandoning the tank.    People somehow think the approval from the town means the tank didn't leak.  Please note that no your local permit which the town approved for filling the tank in place doesn’t certify the tank didn’t leak!  It certifies you filled a tank in place with or without testing (which while legal, makes it harder to sell, ahem near impossible to sell)  mortgage companies, insurance companies and attorneys for buyers will have a hand in preventing the sale with an inground tanks.  Too much liability, unknown cleanup expense is what causes the hesitation.  No one knows if the potential tank cleanup is $10,000.00 or $120,000.00?

If you own a house with an abandoned untested oil tank, expect to either have the tank removed, or the prior work to be reverse engineered, meaning all the material in the tank removed, holes cut in bottom of tank and soil ampler obtained, then the tank back filled again.  We just did this for a tank filled with foam under an addition, so yes it happens.   Buyers will want the know if the tank leaked, trust me if you were buying a property with an abandoned tank you would want to know the same thing. 

Have a tank question?  Call the experts

Expert mold advice, that is what you would want if you had a mold question - right?  Everybody wants the best available advice, but is it possible to get expert mold advice?   Finding a true mold professional is like finding a needle in a haystack.    It’s hard and rarely accomplished.  You can blame lack of government regulations as a source of the scarcity of mold professionals.  You see New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware have zero mold regulations, so every "Chuck in a Truck" can say they know mold.

On a fairly consistent basis (almost daily to be fair) we get calls from people all over the country  that have questions about mold, or need us to interpret mold testing that a professional they hired cannot explain.   Fact, if you hire a professional, they should be able to provide professional advice in writing and be able to understand test results.   If your expert has a Gmail account, works out of their home or says they are licensed, I would say these are three common threads we find from people who have complaints with a mold company. 

No mold regulations, means no licensing, no required competency or required training and testing, so what is stopping someone from changing careers,  say from selling cell phones to doing mold consulting.   True story I met someone with just that background at an event down the shore, suffice to say what they knew about mold was very little.  Or should I say, what they knew about mold was mostly inaccurate. Did you know the salt air and the pressure treated wood that are prevalent in coastal areas inhibits mold growth?  Well, either did he and he told me not to tell people that its bad for business, he said fear of mold sells.   Sorry, I can't make this stuff up.   

As an environmental consultant that consults on mold, you need to inform clients and provide recommendations on risk and courses of action.   You do not sell fear.   Mold is harmful to human health, that is established, I have had people not be able to inhabit a home, or office where mold growth was present.  I also have people who live in an environment where mold is present and levels in the air are in concentrations where I know health issues were triggered in other people, although the current occupants had no apparent ill health effects from the mold.   This is actually not uncommon as we all have our sensitivities to gluten, lactose and mold, so what might be harmful to one person may not be to another.  That is not to say mold is a selling feature of a property, it certainly is not but mold has to be looked at objectively.   

How to pick a mold company?

1. Look for a company that at least 10 years of experience, 20 is better.
2. Google their address, make sure they work out of an office, not a home.
3. Check the ago of their web site address:  https://www.iplocation.net/domain-age     The longer a domain has been in operation, means the longer the company has been operating.   
4. Ensure everything provided to you is in writing, meaning scope of work, what they will do, how they will test and what the test results will mean.  Look we all know an A grade is better than a C, and an F is the worst, well translate that into mold test results. 

At Curren Environmental we have built a base of knowledge on mold consulting and mold remediation over a 20 year period.   We meet all criteria listed above.

Buried oil tanks rust (rust never sleeps) so oil tanks can leak.  

Do not be naïve that the tank that you are removing is rust free and has zero chance of leaking.  Anyone you hire to remove a tank should discuss the possibility of the tank leaking and what the steps would be to address a tank leak. In short, it should not be surprised that a buried metal object decades old may have leaked, so you should be aware of your options.  

In Pennsylvania what drives the need to remediate a heating oil tank discharge is if petroleum levels in the tank excavation are above the PADEP Statewide Health Standards relative to number two heating oil in soil.     The standards are as follows:

• Benzene:– (PADEP Standard is 0.5 ppm)
• Ethylbenzene: (PADEP Standard is 70 ppm)
• Isopropylbenzene (Cumene) : (PADEP Standard is 600 ppm)
• MTBE: (PADEP Standard is 2 ppm)
• Naphthalene: (PADEP Standard is 25 ppm)
• Toluene: (PADEP Standard is 100 ppm)
• 1,2,4- Trimethylbenzene: (PADEP Standard is 8.4 ppm)
• 1,3,5- Trimethylbenzene: (PADEP Standard is 74 ppm)

*Exceedance of any of the eight compounds indicates petroleum levels are above PADEP residential soil standards.  Please note that the most representative soil sample is one obtained below the tank which is only possible when the tank is being removed, or if the tank is being closed in place coupons or holes can be cut into the tank to obtain samples.. 

On the day of tank removal no one can tell you with 100% certainty that if they see holes in the tank that you need remediation.  You see without lab testing you don't know 100%.  If you are pushed to remediate right after a tank is removed, DON'T.   There are no savings and you risk spending money you may not have to spend.   We see firs recommending you jump into remediation if your tan leaks because they already have equipment on site, this approach is sure to lower your bank account balance with no guarantee of solving any problem.

So to understand oil in soil from a tank leak, you can compare it to cholesterol levels.   There are low levels of cholesterol (healthy levels,  that require you to take medicine or change your diet or life style) and there are high levels of cholesterol (you need to change your diet, possibly take medicine), in short high levels require corrective (remedial) action.  

You have to base any driver (need) to remediate a tank leak on laboratory analysis, which is obtained from sampling the soil after tank removal and which takes about a week to be analyzed by an independent laboratory.   So you sit in limbo for about a week to know where you stand.  Very similar to a Dr. visit with lab work.

Fact, many tanks, do not leak, many do, but not evert tank that leaks needs remediation.

Curren has over 2 decades of environmental experience, thousands upon thousands of sites worked on.  If you want professional advice from the professionals, call Curren.

Utilizing foam to fill an Underground Storage Tank (UST) can be a cost-effective approach to closing a UST.   Injecting foam into a tank can save the cost of excavating the entire tank.  Larger tanks and tanks that have access issues & hard surface coverings such as asphalt, building, paving or structures tend to be the ideal sites for foam filling.

Is foam filling appropriate and cost-effective for every tank?

The short answer is it’s not cost-effective in every situation.  People think you can just stick a hose into the tank and pump foam, but that's not the case. The tank must be exposed, entered, and cleaned of all oil before foam can be injected. Also, residual oil in the tank breaks down the foam, so the tank must be thoroughly cleaned of oil or else you will have an issue making proper foam.  In short, you have to enter and clean the tank, and for small tanks, it might take that much more effort to remove the tank, since you already excavated part of the tank to enter and clean it.

No matter if you foam fill a tank, fill a tank with sand/slurry, or remove the tank, there is still a set of tasks and associated costs that will be incurred, no matter the approach.

First, permits are required so the work can be inspected by the local municipality.

Second, the tank has to be excavated to some extent so the tank can be opened, entered, and cleaned. You see, you have to clean the tank of all liquid prior to filling it or removing it. Cleaning entails going inside the tank. Now depending on the size of the tank, the physical act of exposing the top of the tank may entail exposing 60% to 80% of the tank, which at this point, it may just be another 10 to 15 minutes to uncover the rest of the tank, making removal not that much effort.

Third, once the tank is cleaned, you need to test the soil, which entails cutting holes in the bottom of the tank. This takes longer than someone would expect, as the person who cleaned the tank has to leave the tank, change work clothing, to cut these holes. Whereas in the situation when you remove the tank, it is much easier to sample the excavation as the soil is exposed.

Finally, you have the task of backing the area. If you remove the tank, backfilling is fairly straightforward, as you have an open area to fill in.

If you are leaving the tank in place, you are tasked with placing material in the access hole you cut in the tank and pushing it to the far end of the tank. Remember the tank is a cylinder, and you need to fill the cylinder, and sand is not self-leveling.

Utilizing foam is convenient as it is self-leveling, but you also have to make the foam on-site.

The prep for making foam can be 1.5 to 2 hours. It’s kind of like baking, you need the ingredients, a proper mixture, and a temperature. You also have about 2 hours to clean the foam trailer post filling, as the equipment and lines have to be devoid of the foam ingredients or else they will harden and clog hoses, fitting valves, etc., so you are cleaning the kitchen, so to speak. Foam filling hits a sweet spot when you have hard issues accessing the tank with other materials, such as sand or concrete. Also, larger tanks (tanks greater than 2000 gallons) are more cost-effective to foam fill, as you realize the advantages of the foam cost structure versus the labor of using sand or slurry.

Propane tanks are uniquely suited for foam filling as they are pressure vessels and longer than the same size oil tank.  Longer tanks disturb a larger footprint to remove, so foam filling is an ideal solution for propane tanks.

The recession of 2008 can still be felt today in the form of foreclosed properties that have been flipped.    These flipped homes look nothing like the home when it was bank owned.   Flipped homes certainly hold appeal for homeowners who want move in conditions homes.  The photo below shows a house that went through renovations.

This is a photo of the same home same area pre renovation.   Note the mold on the wood furniture on the left hand side of the photo.

Bank owned houses due to no occupancy, have wildly ranging temperatures and humidity fluctuations.  In short, the house gets hot and humid in warmer months, which allows mold to grow.  We have done homes where we come across mold on walls, trim, furniture, attics, basements and crawl spaces due to the house not being heated and cooled.  These homes also may be like this for years.  This certainly makes for homes that are in desperate need of rehabilitation, the question you have to ask is was the mold addressed?

Almost certainly mold in attics and crawl spaces are typically not addressed as these are not areas where the flipper will get bang for their buck or even look for repairs.

Basements typically get partially redone because it creates a living space that was not present before.  The problem is mold that has grown during the foreclosure process gets covered over by clean sheetrock, concealing the mold.  We have seen cracks in foundation walls covered by fresh sheetrock.

Basements in bank owned homes typically will have some levels of mold growth.  Again, when these homes are not occupied, there is a high possibility of mold growth.  

Why Mold Test a Flipped Home?

Many house flippers tend to look over the mold growth in basements, one because they are not aware it is mold growth and two, they are unaware of any water issues.  It is Curren's recommendation to always do  Mold Testing in basements of those homes that are being flipped, especially if they were once not occupied and a Foreclosure, sheriff sale, tax sale or bank sale property. There are times when basements are finished or re-finished and the mold growth is covered up, but not specifically remediated.  Meaning, mold will continue to grow and fester in these areas and will not just disappear.  

Attics are yet another area that are not in the realm of a house flipper.  When an house is not occupied for a period of time, humidity and moisture builds up, especially in an area that has no air flow.  Non-occupied homes do  not always have electricity and whole house attic fans, attic fans and humidistat attic fans will not turn on when necessary.  These situations lead to mold growth in attics.

Curren Environmental suggests Mold Inspections and testing in homes that have not been occupied for a period of time.  Mold growth will occur within 72 hours in the right environment.  Its not to say that home flippers are hiding the mold, they may just be missing that what they see is mold growth.  They are not mold experts.

Questions?

or email at info@currenenvironmental.com

Should I buy a house with a buried oil tank?

Buying a house with an oil tank is one of the biggest financial liabilities a home buyer can assume.  Buried oil tanks and Aboveground Storage Tanks (ASTs)  leak over time, and the oil pollutes subsurface soil and leaches into underground water.  Bottom line, oil tank leaks are expensive and owners of contaminated sites are responsible to clean up these leaks.

Environmental regulations dictate what is permissible amounts of oil that can remain in the ground. If oil levels are above permissible limits you have to remediate, remove contaminated soils to clean up the oil. The owner of the property is the responsible party. Small oil tank leak cleanups will cost around $10,000.00 and large soil remediation projects can exceed $50,000.00 even up to  $100,000.00. At that point, sellers are motivated not to make a big deal about an oil tank and buyers have to be cautious about buying a house with an oil tank.

Oil tanks are confusing for those involved, as these oil tanks and leaking oil tanks have laws, regulations and liability    Oil tanks have liability like that of driving your car, risk is everywhere, but to understand the risk with oil tanks you have to look at the tank on a molecular level.

First 98% of oil tanks are made of steel. Steel rusts.  During the life-span of a tank it will eventually leak.  

The home below was built in 1968, tank was removed in 2019 = 51 year old tank.

90% of tanks have exceeded their designed life expectancy.

New tanks today, on average, have of 10, 20, 25 and 30 year warranties, depending on what tank you buy.  Clearly the more expensive tank has the longer warranty.  The tank on the left has a 30 year warranty, the tank on the right if bought today with a basic warranty would have a 10 year warranty.

Think about buying anything, how focused are you on the warranty?  can you remember how long the warranty is on your car, dishwasher, hot water heater?

Calculating back from the year 2020, the following would be the age of a tank from the home you are buying.  Rarely EVER do people replace USTs with a new UST. Think about the following:

• Home Built in 1940 has a 80 year old tank
• Home Built in 1950 has a 70 year old tank
• Home Built in 1960 has a 60 year old tank
• Home Built in 1970 has a 50 year old tank
• Home Built in 1980 has a 40 year old tank

Is buying a home with an oil tank a good idea?   Well if the oil tank has been replaced and you have a warranty, then you have a good baseline regarding when the tank will need replacement.  This unicorn and rainbow scenario is likely three percent of transactions where an oil tank is present. The norm is the seller will say "I bought the house with the tank and so should you".

Mortgage companies and insurance companies are well acquainted with the liability of oil tanks.  Residential buried oil tanks consistently cause trouble for home sellers and home buyers.  Sellers do not want the liability and many want to sell the home "as is" with the underground oil tank.   Buyers, are more informed than ever and they don't want to buy a leaky tank.   Add in mortgage lenders who are wary of  buried oil tanks and may refuse to provide loans to purchase homes having them. Insurance companies may not want to write a policy for a property with an oil tank.  

If you are buying a home with an oil tank, the best advice is to ask the owner to remove and replace the oil tank.  The reason being, the tank is most likely well past a reasonable life span, and when it leaks you will not know, it's not a roof where leaks are obvious.  It is also not always worth testing the tank due to the age, regardless of if you get a passing tank test, there will be a recommendation to remove the tank due to take age. 

If your trying to sell a home with an old oil tank, read the paragraph above.  No one wants to buy an old tank, which by all standards (common sense included) is old and should be replaced.  If you are the last person holding the straw and are responsible for removing the tank, I am sorry, I would give you the same advice if you were buying a house with an oil tank.

Will finding mold growth hurt my chances of selling my home?   This is a common question we are asked when a home buyer finds mold during a real estate transaction.   Mold is a known health hazard, from inhalation of mold spores to the generation of MVOC and mycotoxins, which are generated by mold growing can adversely affects human health. And although you may be living with the mold without incident, you can guarantee that the new owner will not want mold in their new home

In states like New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware where the housing stock is older, building materials have had more time to degrade which allows mold to grow.  Heck a 50 year old home has had plenty of time to have plumbing issues.  If purchasing an older home, expect mold during a sale.

Finding mold and having to remediate mold is not driven by laws like a leaking oil tank would dictate remediation. Rather remediating a mold problem is going to be on the top of the buyers "To Do List" prior to purchase. Buyers can overlook the worn carpet, older windows and out-dated bathroom, but buyers can not overlook mold that tends to have buyers draw a line in the sand.  For one, buyers have plans for new paint, replacing the windows and carpet but not having to cleanup a mold problem.

Clearly visible mold is not a desirable feature of a home, we have never seen someone promote the presence of mold to sell a home. Sure we see homes that are being sold as is, which is a clear indication the owner knows there are defects in the home somewhere. But to say you have large walk in closets, newer kitchen and mold in the basement, yep we don't ever come across that statement.

Fretting over the type of mold and hazards associated with mold are a mute point, you won't see someone allergic to nuts try and differentiate the dangers between a peanut, walnut or cashew. 

Level heads prevail when managing a mold issue, you have to address mold on a molecular level.   You have mold growth in a home because the environment was conducive for the mold to grow.   Arguing that only a little water seeps into the basement after a heavy rain will not get a buyer to stop crowing about wanting the mold fixed. 

A competent mold company that is looking out for everyone's best interest is harder to find than you would expect, this is directly related to the fact that there are no mold regulations in New Jersey, Pennsylvania or Delaware.  Without mold regulations, you have no licensing, without mold licensing you have no competence hurdle for someone to perform mold work.   Any "Chuck in a Truck" will proclaim to be your mold expert.

At Curren we have completed 1000's of mold inspections and remediation and while each one is similar (they have mold) there are nuances to the project.  See the photo below, mold was caused by a disconnected dryer vent which exhausted moist air in the ceiling.  

We have seen a few things when it comes to mold.  We have a team of experienced inspectors and our crews are trained from the top down to do your mold job right.  This starts with finding the cause, fixing the sources and removing the mold.

If you are purchasing a property with an abandoned oil tank, be concerned that you are playing with fire.  Let's be clear, the concern with any oil tank is if the tank leaks.  If the property with the abandoned oil tank has a report that includes soil testing you should not have any concerns,  but that is not the common situation when a property has an abandoned oil tank.

The real hurdle regarding a property with an abandoned oil tank is that the owner does not want to do anything with the oil tank.    People will say the tank is fine, that they, themselves, purchased the house with the abandoned tank so its fine for those homeowners because they don't have the monies to remove the tank. 

So what is the underlying issue? The homeowner doesn't want to find that the tank is leaking.  It's costly to remediate, and they can easily pass that along to buyers who don't do their due diligence.    In some cases, buyers are tempted to take a credit for tank removal to allow the sale to go through.

This photo is from a leaking oil tank.  Cleanup cost exceeded a $100,000.00

I cannot advise having the work performed after settlement as you do not have enough data to determine what would be a prudent amount of money to set aside in escrow in the event that the oil tank leaks. For your reference, a small oil leak can cost $5,000.00 to $10,000.00, with larger oil leaks costing tens of thousands of dollars. In the absence of a written narrative (report) from the tank closure company and associated laboratory analysis that would have been performed during the closure activities, you cannot say that the tank does not represent an environmental issue.

Oil tanks represent an unknown financial liability that can affect the value of a home, the ability to obtain a mortgage and homeowners insurance. Since the abandoned oil tank is the hurdle to overcome in a real estate transaction, removing the oil tank is the logical course of action.

An Abandoned tank, closed in place tank, decommissioned tank, can mean many different things.

Abandoned oil tank can mean:

Tank is abandoned, stopped using it and left it "as is".  Think of it as an abandoned car.

This oil tank was abandoned 11 years ago when they switched to natural gas.  About 75 gallons of oil was left in the tank or should I say abandoned.

Oil tanks abandoned in place means something was done to the tank, like filling the tank with sand, stone, concrete or foam.  The question is was the tank cleaned and sampled?   A report would help secure this situation and address concerns of a tank leak.  This situation commonly has no documentation regarding the tank leak, the reason being is the owner didn't want to find  a problem, so no test, no problem can be found.  This is legal, but leaves the unanswered question regarding a tank leak to be answered when the property is sold.

Tank abandoned in place with a permit and inspection by township, city or municipality.   This is the most dangerous of abandoned tanks as buyer and sellers assume that the permit and inspection portion of the work certifies the tank as non leaking.    This is actually not what the town inspects for they inspect for the physical work completed. 

Abandoned oil tank, no paperwork, current owner bought it with the abandoned oil tank.  Tank was abandoned from a prior owner and there were promises that it was done properly but you have no written documentation.

This tank was abandoned in place, we removed sand, slate pavers, bricks and beneath all that was oil. 

Tanks abandoned in place and the work was done by the homeowner with some friends. No permits, but a really good story about what hard work it was to do.  Yes - this does happen and 99% of the time the DIY tank abandonment is not performed as well as it could have been performed.   Think about it if you have never done something before how good are on your first attempt?

This tank was foam filled, but the tank was never entered and cleaned.  So oil remained in the tank.   You can see how the foam is discolored from the oil.

Tank abandoned in place, but the tank was actually best served to be filled in place due to obstructions.  Meaning there are tanks by pools, under decks, under garages, basically in a location where it would be excessively expensive, even dangerous to remove so the tank gets abandoned in place.  This is common on commercial tanks as commercial tanks are larger and longer and removal causes a larger footprint of disturbance.  In this circumstance after the tank is cleaned samples are acquired and a report documents that yes a steel object remains on the site, but it is technically no longer a tank as it can't hold  liquid (there is a big hole cut into the top of the tank).   This is what we do to document commercial tanks that are abandoned in place, you should expect the same for any residential tank.   Why an abandoned tank may not have a report is either the owner not wanting to test and find a problem, cost, owner went with the cheapest company (cheap means something is lacking) or simply the company that did the work doesn't test, or isn't licensed for testing. 

25 plus years of oil tank work, Curren Environmental can confidently say 99% of oil tanks can be removed.  So many abandoned tanks should have been removed but were not.   Don't buy a property with an abandoned tank that you are  not 100% certain it did not leak.

Call Today for Expert Advice and Service. 

New Jersey has a grant program available if you removed your underground oil tank and soil contamination above the NJ standards are present. Eligible applicants can request reimbursement for tank removal costs and future remediation expenses. There are, however, some stipulations that you must be aware of first before you can begin your application.

The NJ Economic Development Authority (EDA) makes the determination on the applications eligibility for the grant award. To be considered for the grant the following must exist:

• It must be an underground oil tank. For the tank to be considered an underground oil tank it must be at least 10 % underground.
• Taxable income of no more than $250,000 and a personal net worth, exclusive of applicant's primary residence, employer-sponsored pension and traditional retirement accounts such as 401K’s and IRA’s, of no more than $500,000.
• You must use a licensed oil tank removal company to remove the oil tank and provide soil sampling.
• Must own tank at time of removal and home must be primary residence.

Those applicants not meeting the criteria for financial hardship will not be considered for the grant program.

The application itself is detailed and applicants need help filling out the application and acquiring the attachments. The NJDEP Grant application requires information including the site address, case number, tank removal company and information regarding your insurance coverage. Below is an example of what should be filled out:

1. Application (3 Pages) – (if a section does not pertain to your site, please mark N/A). Note on the first page of the application the total amount requested is blank; this will be completed upon receipt of all paid invoices and the final amount of the remediation is determined.
2. Attachment A (1 Page)- sign in the presence of a notary
3. Attachment B (1 Page)- sign in the presence of a notary
4. Attachment C is for Non-Profit Organizations.
5. Attachment D (Information on the tank removal date and company that provided the tank removal)
6. Attachment E (if it pertains to you and your property)
7. Attachment F (if it pertains to you and your property)

Once your application is filled out, receipts and lab data are included and the application is notarized, it is ready to send to the NJDEP.

The following is a general overview of what you can expect about the timing and costs for the grant process.

Grant applications are reviewed in the order in which they are received and are approved as funding allows. The NJDEP Bureau of Contract & Fund Management will review the proposal for compliance with their rate structure. The NJDEP Bureau of Contract & Fund Management will also determine if the scope of work is acceptable, which validates the cost structure. Upon completion of its review, the NJDEP will forward eligible application to the NJEDA.

New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA)

After the NJEDA has received notification from the NJDEP accepting the scope of work, the NJEDA will send you, directly, an application packet to be completed and returned to the NJEDA. The NJEDA will then review your application and determine eligibility for the program based on your financial situation. You will need to submit a $250.00 (nonrefundable) application fee. You will be notified of their findings. Curren does not have an estimated timeframe for the review process, but in the past it has ranged from 2 to 4 years.

Once the NJEDA has approved your application, you then send the approval to the company that assisted you with the application.

More information can be located at the NJDEP. 

Curren Environmental has over 15 years experience with the NJDEP EDA LUST grant program, helping homeowners in New Jersey with tank leak problems. Surprisingly we find many eligible applicants are unaware or misunderstand the grant program and very few environmental companies actually explain the program to their tank removal clients. If you want to know your options and get expert advice call Curren.