HYDRAULIC LIFT REMOVAL
Curren Environmental, Inc. (Curren) has over 25 years experience with the removal of inground hydraulic lifts.
Hydraulic lifts, both above and below ground are pressurized vessels that contain hydraulic oils that can become potential environmental hazards when the lifts lose integrity and leak oil into the subsurface soils. While most regulatory agencies do not regulate underground hydraulic lifts, environmental due diligence views these lifts as an environmental hazard as they have no leak detection and hydraulic oil can leak into the ground mandating remediation.
Yes there are homes where car enthusiasts have inground lifts so they can work on their cars, trucks, etc.
Just as automotive repair facilities utilize lifts to work on vehicles, may hobbyists had a lift installed at their house so they could also work on vehicles.
Residential hydraulic lifts are rare but not uncommon, we have found homes that have attached and detached garages that contained automotive hydraulic lifts. Sometimes the listing actually touts the lift as a benefit, which they are not. Above hydraulic lifts are an asset and alos may not be considered a fixture, as these lifts are bolted to the floor and can be dismounted and reinstalled at another address.
We have also seen oil change pits in garages. Imagine being able to change your own oil!
The wood planking covers an oil change pit
The bottom of the pit is dirt which allows waste oil from oil changes to seep into the ground.
The general procedures followed for a lift closure are as follows:
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Excavating overburden concrete and soils surrounding the lift.
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Extracting remaining hydraulic oil from the lift or cylinder.
- After hydraulic lift (cylinder) removal site assessment soil samples can be obtained to document that the hydraulic fluid did not discharge.
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Backfilling and compacting the hydraulic lift excavation with a certified clean fill material.
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Transporting both the waste hydraulic oil and the scrap lift to a recycling facility.
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Restoring the area disturbed by the lift removal with a reinforced layer of concrete.
