Hot Environmental Topics

It is not unheard of that buildings are built on top of oil tanks.  Definitely not a good idea, but the structure was typically built either before environmental regulations or without regard for the regulations, or the oil tank. 

Every oil tank that is underground and even under a building has the possibility of leaking.  When a tank leaks you may have to clean up the leak, which requires removing soils (soil remediation).  How do you do soil remediation when you have a structure over the tank?    The photo below is a garage, where the walls were supported and the floor and contaminated soil was removed.  

If you want to buy a house with a tank under the house or think of selling a house with a tank in this situation, think again.  The concern with oil tanks is they leak and if they leak you may have to clean them up and that can cost money.  I know a number of properties that owners tried to sell, but having a tank buried under the sunroom was a sticking point and prevented a sale.  The only way these houses went to the settlement table was by having the owner cut open and clean the tank and take samples to show the tank did not leak.  Yes, a project like this can cost thousands of dollars but these are costs that are the responsibility of the property owner even if they never used the tank and bought the house knowing a tank was under a structure. 

In practice, many tanks that are under a garage, house or porch we find are not leaking. Why?  Well because you have an umbrella over the tank being the structure.  The house keeps the tank dry which in turn inhibits rust.  Don't get me wrong some do leak, but the drier any metal is the more corrosion resistance will occur.

When decommissioning the tank, a confirmation that the tank did not leak can be acquired by soil sampling.  This entails entering and cleaning the tank of all residual petroleum compounds (liquid and sludge).  The empty cleaned tank can then be removed and soil samples acquired from the tank excavation.    But in the case of a tank under a building where removal is not practical, you can cut holes through the shell of the cleaned tank and obtain soil samples. 

So you see there is no reason you can't take soil samples from tanks that have been filled in place.  People who own tanks do not want to take soil samples because they may get bad results.  The saying goes if you do not test you have a 100% chance of finding nothing.

The photo series below is of a tank under the crawl space floor that was cleaned and tested.  The rub was that the tank leaked and remediation was necessary.  So contaminated soil had to be removed.

The tank was removed, and the soil contamination removed.  A picture is worth a thousand words.

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Licensed in Delaware  Pennsylvania & New Jersey

If you are involved with an oil tank removal project, it is probable your first tank removal and likely your last. The odds of you making the best decision are slim. Let’s agree that the best tank removal is one where the tank does not leak and you don’t have to remediate.

That said, you could expect a cost for tank removal on average to be about $1,800.00. This cost entails the time to get permits, equipment, and labor to excavate the tank, trained personnel to cut open and clean the tank, oil recovery, tank removal, soil sampling, backfill material, and labor, and ultimately a report from the company so you can document the tank removal. The tank report is completed weeks after removal and is performed in an office utilizing the notes and data collected from your site. Sounds like a lot for $1,800.00, well it is.

Let’s talk about what makes your tank removal the best tank removal.

Your cost is close to the average cost of $1,800.00. Why, well the firm that sells these services has to do the work at a market rate where they can make money. Otherwise, they are offering the work at a loss, with the plan that they will make the money on the backend, which is the remediation and even small remediation can cost over $8,000.00. You get what you pay for, remember that.

If you buy a house that had an oil tank, you want to know that the tank did not leak. The only way to know that is if you have testing completed. Being the owner of the tank you may think you do not want to have testing done, or else you may find a problem. After 25 years of dealing with tanks the bottom line question, everyone wants to know is if the tank leaked. Buyers and sellers because that answers can make or break a real estate transaction. Bottom line tank soil samples when the tank is removed

Why do many contracts for tank removal not include soil sampling? Short answer, it is cheaper. Soil samples cost $120.00 on average and with two soil samples being the average number acquired sampling can raise the cost by $240.00, plus the time to write a report that talks about the test results. Look, you are removing an old buried metal object, you are fooling yourself if you don’t think that rust and extensively have not occurred to the tank. Your low-cost tank removal company is counting on this and will be happy to give you a cost to remediate the tank once contamination is discovered.

Why do many contracts not include a report of the tank removal? Cost again is the culprit. If you write a report you need someone present during tank removal that will be taking notes, photos, and soil samples and will eventually sit behind a desk to type a report. That all takes time and there is a cost involved. The bottom line make sure the contract includes a report.

Tank removal site assessment soil samples when acquired for independent laboratory analysis provide quantitative, not qualitative data. New Jersey and Pennsylvania have one comparative standard for number two heating oil in the soil and that is by laboratory analysis. Visual, oil water agitation, or olfactory evaluations have no standards so you have no foundation to lay an opinion.

Residential tank removals do not specifically require that you obtain soil samples. This conflicts with the interest of a purchaser (mortgage or insurance underwriter) for a site when hard data is requested. Legally you do not need to test, if a buyer wants to test prior to purchase it is their due diligence and hence their cost. Obviously, it is less expensive to acquire samples from an open excavation at the tie of removal, as opposed to post-removal and backfilling.

What is the best tank removal? The best is one where testing and a report are provided as part of the tank removal. It is what is required for commercial sites, so why wouldn’t you do the same for a residence?

Let's agree nothing lasts forever.  Most people would likely never change the batteries in their smoke detectors if the unit did not beep when the batteries were low.   Additionally, not everyone buys Top of Line products.  Meaning, that you get what you pay for, so cheaper tanks, have shorter warranties than more expensive tanks, and no this is not a generalization it is fact.

Tank rust inside and out, you can see the rust on the inside of this tank.

The average age lifespan of an oil tank is 20 years.

Price will dictate longevity of a tank, meaning you will find tanks with longer warranties, are better built and are more expensive.

A standard tank has a short warranty (10 year)  Residential Oil Tanks | Granby oil tanks | Oil tanks | Granby Industries.   

Tanks with 30 to 40-year warranties, well they can be 4 x the cost of cheaper tanks. 

The photo below is a tank that is 8 years old, see how thin the tank is?

Pro Tip

If a tank is out of warranty, replace the tank.

If you have no idea about the warranty on the tank replace it.

Many Mobile Home parks require residents to replace ASTs at when they reach 18 to 20 years old.

Many oi companies will not deliver to tanks that are older than 20 years.

When people replace ASTs, if they plan to move within 5 years, they buy the cheapest tank and hence shortest warranty.

Sludge that generates on the bottom of a tank is corrosive.

If your tank is going to be staged outside or you are on an island, your tank is subject to harsher conditions and you likely should use a tank with a more extended warranty and one that would be more resistant to the elements, but people buy what they can afford.  Painting it is also a good idea, manufactures don’t paint tanks because people want them to match the building they are next to and because the tanks get scratched before they arrive on a site.

Tank Experts 888-301-1050

How to Prolong the Life of Your AST

Tanks typically arrive in a primer red color and so many of these tanks never get painted post-installation.  Paint your tank with weather-resistant paint.  Lighter colors are better than darker colors. That said, a black tank is subject to larger temperature swings than a light-colored tank, meaning more likely to develop condensation and if it's on an island salt air. Remember the tank has a vent so you are subject to moisture in the air. Horizontal tanks have a larger bottom surface area than horizontal tanks so water on the bottom has more surface area to impact, meaning rust.

Keep the environment where the tank is located as dry as possible.  Clearly outside staged tanks are difficult to control moisture, but indoor tanks can be managed.  Note the tank in the following photo, the tank looks pretty good but the two legs of the tank you can see are clearly rust-stained.  A dehumidifier in the basement would be a form of moisture control.

Maintain your oil tank. After you paint it, keep an eye on it, if you see rust forming, alight sand and a coat of paint will help prevent future rust on the exterior.

Keeping the tank near full will also limit the surface area inside the tank where moisture can cause corrosion.  Nothing gets younger, so even a new tank will become old and out of warranty, know the age of the tank and be prepared to replace the tank before it leaks.  Note the photo below of a cut-open AST, note the rust.   Moisture inside the tank as well as low sulfur fuel corrodes the tank. 

Why do tanks leak

Final note, if you have a heating oil AST that is no longer being used, get it removed.  The largest vessel on your property holds liquid (pools and hot tubs excluded).   These abandoned tanks take up space and will leak and the empty tank you thought you had, well when it leaks you will find that the tank actually had oil in it.

Tank Removal Costs - find out more about the costs of tank removals. 

Health Concerns with Mold Exposure

Mold emits spores and chemicals as part of its normal life cycle. Individuals near and around  Mold may exhibit health-concerning reactions.  These spores from Mold are microscopic and once airborne can be inhaled easily.  These spores may contain allergens and can cause serious irritation in the nose, throat, and respiratory tract. 

Common allergic reactions include but are not limited to:

• Sneezing
• Nasal Congestion
• Coughing
• Skin Rashes
• Asthma attacks
• Eye Irritation

In addition to allergens, mold can emit Microbiological Volatile Organic Compounds (MVOC’s).  These chemicals usually have a very strong and unpleasant odor and can be associated with that musty smell that many individuals equate to Mold.  These chemicals are released into the air and can also cause serious health concerns.

Common reactions to MOVC’S

• Headaches
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Fatigue

Molds can also produce toxic substances called Mycotoxins.  Mycotoxins can be inhaled, ingested, or absorbed through the skin.  Mycotoxins are potent, toxic chemicals that can cause significant health problems.

Mycotoxins can affect the following:

• Central Nervous System
• Immune System
• Respiratory System
• Digestive System
  
  

Mold comes up quite often during a real estate transaction.  In some cases, Sellers have mold, didn't know that even had mold, and said they live with it and they have no health concerns.  There is a reason why mold is not federally regulated.  Health concerns regarding mold depend on the person themselves.  Mold is like peanuts, you may be allergic to mold but I may be fine. If the seller is fine with mold, the buyer may not be. 

Curren Environmental, Inc. can inspect your residential or commercial property, help define the cause of the mold and offer a solution with both mold remediation and mold prevention. 

For more information on Mold visit please visit Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.        

Buyer Beware when it Comes to Mold & Oil Tank

If you are buying a home, it may be your first or may be your third.  Either way the internet has no doubt made you a sharper consumer. You can assess the property online by evaluating photos, sometimes 3D tours of the home, school districts, past sale prices for the property and the neighborhood, property taxes, the list goes on.  No doubt you know how to google information. So you find the home, make an offer, it goes under contract and now your due diligence happens.  A home inspection, etc.  You are a savvy buyer so you look into other inspections you can do, Roof?, Mold? Oil Tank Sweep?  Yep, you do them all but guess what the seller has access to the internet as well, they may even be buying another home so they have concerns with inspections of their own.  But since they are selling they are also concerned with what you might find and the cost.

Be fair, if you had a buried tank at a home you were selling and you googled oil tank leak and the following photo popped up, how forthcoming would you be about the tank?  

True statements:

Sellers don't want to have to spend money to sell their homes.

Buyers, don't want to spend money on unexpected repairs, mold and oil tanks are top of the list. 

Both items are not covered by a home inspection, so while a home inspector may flag that the hot water heater needs to be replaced, they are not going to point out a $4,000.00 mold remediation.

The best advice we can provide is to be aware of what inspections are prudent during the home buying process.  

Regarding tank sweeps, they can be a lifesaver.  Tank Sweeps

Tank Nightmare aka property listed again with no mention of the oil tank

The contract of sale falls apart due to the oil tank.

The story goes that the owner selling their home finds that their old unused oil tank is not a selling feature so they decide not to mention it on the listing information.  Home goes under contract and out of guilt, sellers admit to an oil tank when asked.   Curren quotes the removal and the seller wants to know what happens if the tank leaks.    The seller decides not to remove the oil tank, this killed the deal.

Fast forward a few weeks, and the property is relisted, again with no discussion of an oil tank.    So now a seller is flat out forgetting a tank was known to exist (I don't say lie) and we get a call from a new buyer for the home and they want us to do a tank sweep.

Really, must we be the only straight-talking people?  Hey, this situation is easy to resolve, we remove the tank.

But how about the person who buys the house with a tank that was not disclosed (we found it for another buyer) and they get transferred with their job in a year and have to sell the home?

The anger, the lawsuits, heck the only happy people are the attorneys.   Happens again and again. Realtors if you are reading and if you know the listing has a tank and the buyers are not disclosing, you better disclose, I have a few realtors getting sued for this.  Email can be forever, people talk, buyers share bad news (ever hear of social media?), I am not going to say how each attorney researches facts,  to trace how someone knew something and didn’t disclose it or blankly fabricated an untruth, but it's much easier than you think.

Now to be fair we have been around for over 20 years, we touch thousands of sites a year and every so often we get a boomerang.  What is a boomerang?  A project we were involved with stopped dead in its tracks, Curren finds a tank, finds mold, finds contamination, the deal falls through, owner cancels the contract for tank removal/mold.  Ok it happens, we aren’t pushy, if the owner changes their mind they have our number.

Why talk about this, because buyer beware, I would rather consult for a buyer to interest BEFORE they buy a problem.

Why are we happy when we find a tank, find mold, or contamination for a buyer?   Because our client doesn't own the property yet, we did our job we found a problem and now this problem can be presented to the seller for correction.  Surely the seller doesn’t want to sell you an environmental problem costing thousands of dollars?    Sadly there is a % of people that will, many step up, but some sellers do not, hence you need for proper due diligence.  

When buying a home a home do your due diligence.

Tank sweeps?  Click here  Tank Sweeps

Mold Inspection Click here  Mold Inspections

Expert advice you can rely upon, that Curren Environmental.

Prior to buying commercial real estate, savvy buyers do their due diligence.

No one wants to buy a property that is devalued with environmental remediation costs. Hence, why you look before you leap, and do environmental due diligence such as Phase I.  But real estate being real estate, many buyers spend months if not longer trying to find the property that fits their needs, Failed sales and limited inventory can drive buyers to cut corners when they do indeed find a property they want to buy.

 How do you avoid environmental issues when buying a commercial property?   You do your environmental due diligence such as a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment.   But there are other forms of environmental due diligence you can do.

Many banks and the SBA will accept a Records Search with Risk Assessment (RSRA) in lieu of a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESAs) for low-risk properties. An RSRA product is an expedited and inexpensive due diligence product that allows the lender to evaluate the environmental risk quickly.   The RSRA can determine if a full Phase I is required.  In short, not every property may warrant a Phase I.  Now that is not to say that doing a Phase I is not a good idea, it is actually one of the best ideas when buying property, but if you have a property that appears low risk or a short time frame, an RSRA can give you a quick snapshot of potential environmental conditions.    The map below shows a gas tank (GT) on a property,  this was found from the RSRA and drove the need for a Phase I or gives the buyer to step back from the purchase.

Curren Environmental is a leading providers of RSRAs for financial institutions and end users (buyers). Curren offers several advantages over our leading competition including:

• Inhouse personnel complete all work.
• We do thousands of due diligence evaluations every year, experience pays.
• During lockdown we remained open and busy, because real estate was moving

If the RSRA finds additional work is needed, we do that, Phase I,II & III.

Mold is a four-letter word and will bring out emotions in people.  Some rational emotions, some not so rational.  Compound that with the fact that when people have health concerns they blame mold as the source (sometimes correctly) of the health issues.   Unfortunately, there are no federal regulations for mold and only 11 states have mold regulations so the ability to deal with a "mold professional" is severely limited even for people in states that have mold laws.   What that means is, yes, you could get scammed with mold, but you could also get taken advantage of by a licensed contractor doing work on your home as well, you have all heard stories of contractors doing shoddy work or running off with deposit money.

We find that the issue with mold is it is rarely discussed rationally by companies.   By rational, we find that companies play off people's fears and emotions rather than address mold in a scientific fashion.  Meaning assessing why mold is present, (there is always a reason), assessing how far the mold has spread and then developing a scope to remediate. The above photo shows mold by an HVAC air vent.  Occupants of the office were concerned that mold is getting sucked into the duct and spreading throughout the office.  It had to be explained that the duct is blowing air out not in.   And no the duct was not filled with mold (ducts are metal 90% of the time and mold doesn't eat metal).   The cause of the mold was an air leak in the wall that caused moisture to mix with air from the duct forming a nice environment for mold growth on the surface in the photo.   A simple fix on the outside wall solved the issue.   But our advice 100% contradicted the company that said every room in the office was at risk (there were over 34 rooms on the floor.    We tested 20 of the rooms via air sampling to disprove the theory of widespread mold growth.   This is what I mean by rational vs irrational.  Oh, and rational saves money.

We are mold experts and have been for over 20 years.  We consult on mold, test for mold, remediate mold and teach classes on mold.  That said we can offer some free advice on the mold that could help you from being scammed.

First, if you feel like you are being taken advantage of, you likely are.  This comes from many people who we have helped after they had the suspicion they were not being treated fairly.

Second, in sales, a common tactic is to push a sense of urgency (to close the deal).  You have all no doubt experienced that when buying a car.   Well with mold if you are being scared by a company regarding mold, that is a tactic to push a sale.

Third,   this is the hard one, fact-check what you are told.   Since so few states have licensing for mold,  when an individual or company says they are licensed, verify it.   I work in NJ, DE, and NJ and cannot hold a state license in any of those states because none exist.  Nor do I profess to have a license in those states.   25 years of experience (thousands of sites remediated)  is more or less the foundation of our skill set.  And yes I would acquire a license if one becomes available.

Opinions (paid), and contracts for work should all be in writing clearly explaining what is proposed to be performed, the cost, and the duration of work.     Most states have consumer fraud protection where work is required to be in writing, this is not always the case.   As a general rule get it in writing. Such as someone saying mold is widespread and a large area needs remediation.  Ok if that is the case, why?  How did you determine that the situation was so severe?

Pro Tip

Anyone offering a free inspection is looking for work or should I say a problem.  They are motivated to find a problem because that is where they will make money.   Trust me the problem they find will be hyped, may not be much of a problem, and could even be a problem the owner could fix themselves.   The problem is if you do not pay for advice, there will be bias regarding the free advice you obtain.

To be clear, most people you are going to speak to about mold are not experts.   Even a company that does a mold inspection or mold testing likely does not have expertise in understanding the complexity of mold spores, growth, etc.     Case in point we got the following question from Houston, Texas.

Do I need particle count + spore samples, or just spore samples in the known areas where mold is apparent? The contractor with particle count quoted me a price but yells at me when I mention testing. The other contractor with the spore samples approach does not have specialized particle count equipment. He takes the approach that we know where we see/smell the problem, and once the spores are tested, we will know more about how to fix it.

Do you know what the person is asking?  There are only 4 sentences, so what you can derive from them is that mold is visible (EPA says testing is not required when visible mold growth is present).   So each party is recommending some form of testing, but why?   The question is what caused the mold growth? (this is important so mold doesn't grow back).    The next question is what will it take to address the mold?   Lastly, both contractors are saying to do different testing, what is not explained is that there are no Federal standards so what would the testing be compared against?

If you see visible mold, you should address it and its cause of it.   A qualified mold inspector and/or remediator can figure this out.  Doesn't look like either person involved is qualified. (yelling is never an acceptable form of communication.) 

Are there companies that do shoddy mold work, for sure like any other service you can get bad service?   Do you want expert mold advice?   Call Curren.

It has been a seller's market for a while now and some buyers have waived inspections.   Please note that even on "as is sales" and "no inspection offers", Buyers have been doing  Oil Tank Sweeps and even Oil Tank Testing as part of the Due Diligence you don't hear about.     The reason being the liability of a leaking tank is too great.

That said we have had people actually purchase homes with oil tanks, not realizing the liability associated with tanks.

What people don't understand is buried oil tanks rust and leak and this can occur for years while the tank is being used without the owner knowing.  People also didn't remove tanks when they stopped using them to both save money and avoid finding a problem.    So naïve people are buying homes with oil tanks finding they have leaked and are hoping that maybe $5,000.00 will solve the tank leak.  Truth be told, small tank leaks can cost $8000.00 to $15,000.00.

The photo below shows a tank leak that cost $34,000 to remediate.

The oil tank remediation below was $44,000.00

The remediation for this tank was only $12,000.00, not including landscape restoration.

The tank remediation below was about $130,000.00

Do you get the point?   Oil runs through the soil and when you have to chase after and remove it to remediate it, it can cost tens of thousands of dollars.  It boggles the mind a bit for sure but it's factual and oil tank leaks are a "known issue".  The Known Issue of oil tanks is well documented.  In a real estate transaction, your attorney, realtor, and most important the seller are likely aware.     We know because we get calls from all three groups regarding tanks and managing them in a transaction.

Do your due diligence and get a tank scan, whether you want to waive inspections or not, during your real estate transaction.  Do not waive the tank scan inspection.

Questions?  Call Curren. 

Black Mold, the most feared and vilified mold, isn't even a real mold.  Black mold is a name that was made up by the media and mold industry to invoke a response from you.  That's right, misinformation at its best. 

Do not buy into the Black Mold Myth.  If black mold was real, do you not think there would be other molds named after colors?   Like white mold, grey mold, and even pink mold, because those colors of mold all exist too.   There are no molds named after colors,  molds, for the most part, have hard-to-pronounce names, so having them named after colors would certainly make them easier to pronounce.   There are many different molds that are black in color and to have a mold identified, a sample goes directly to a laboratory where they look at the mold sample under a high-powered microscope for spore/fungal identification.  What does that tell you? Well, no one who looks at mold with the naked eye cannot tell you the spore type, just isn't possible (maybe they can guess).

How about when people want to know if the mold they have is Bad Mold?    Well, a bowl of mixed nuts would be the bad nuts for anyone allergic to nuts.   The same thing goes for dairy, if you are allergic to dairy, the dairy aisle of the supermarket is bad.  My point being is the mold that affects you, is the bad mold.  But let's be clear, Mold is not a benefit when found inside a home or building.

Now, this article will certainly not be looked upon favorably by the mold remediation industry, as they want people afraid, misinformed, and motivated to get the mold problem fixed.   I once gave a talk at a convention and spoke about how black mold is a misused term.  Well after the talk I had a gentlemen come up to me and asked why I would tell people that Black Mold was not real.  He was of the idea that scared people spend money and the term Black Mold Scares people.   I speak about incorrect perceptions of the environment all the time and I don't like people being misled by the term Black Mold.

To put mold into laser focus, if you have mold, you don't have a mold problem, you have a water/moisture issue.  Mold is the by-product of the water issue.     So when you remediate mold (mold removal is called remediation) you better fix the water issue or it will come back.  And yes, we remediate mold and have had to remediate sites where mold was previously remediated but the water issue was not resolved.

Now, I do not wish to ignore the health issue associated with mold.  The EPA considers mold an indoor air contaminant, and rightfully so.  You can inhale a live or dead mold spore and have a reaction from it.  Mold off gases when mold is growing this produces mycotoxins and microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOC).   You may say you smell musty odors, but you are really smelling this off-gassing mold metabolism.  These compounds can also have an adverse effect on your health.     So to be clear mold will adversely affect indoor air quality and while you may be mold resistant, we have seen people move into new offices and homes with mold and after a period of time, they find mold is affecting them.

Let me go even further into the mold.   I think we can agree that mold is not a selling feature for real estate.    If you have mold and there is an exposure pathway, meaning you are going to encounter it, (I give a pass to mold growing outside your home) the mold should be remediated.  I say should there is no law saying a home or office must remediate mold, but doing so is generally considered a positive thing.    The issue with addressing mold is the Standard of Service (SOS) you receive.   The rub with mold remediation is there are no federal laws regulating mold and at the time of this article only 11 states have mold regulations, so chances are if you have a mold problem you are in an unregulated state.  What does that mean?  It means that the company or individual you hire holds no state license and there is no SOS they must follow.  I say this because I live it. 

We get calls from all over the country regarding mold and entities they are dealing with and are less than satisfied. Complaints range from a company doing mold testing and not providing a written explanation of the test results. You see without federal regulation, there are no acceptable or unacceptable mold testing standards.   There are Industry standards, but oftentimes the company doing the work does not explain them or provide their interpretation in writing.  My belief is most people doing mold work don't know what they are doing and they get away with it because the client knows even less.

Remediation is a whole other ball game.