Gambrills, Maryland is a great place to live and work. It only has one zip code – 21054 – and is located entirely in Anne Arundel County. It only takes a few minutes’ drive to get away from the busier areas of Glen Burnie, Crofton, and the crowded suburbs.
While there are still parts of Gambrills packed tight with houses and commercial properties, you will also find many neighborhoods with large houses, older houses, large lots and more land.
Surprising Facts About Oil Storage Tanks in Gambrills
You know what else you will find more of in this area? Oil Tanks!
Yep that’s right. Due to the lack of underground natural gas piping in some areas, underground heating oil tanks (also referred to as USTs) are still widely in use here.
As a fuel, oil is a great source of heat compared to electricity. The downside with all these buried tanks still in use, however, is that they are all beyond their expected lifespan.
Unfortunately, these oil tanks do not last forever. So does that mean you need to get rid of oil heat and switch to some other heat source? Absolutely not! It’s just about making sure your oil tank is up-to-date.
What you need to know is that most all buried oil tanks are original to the house. If your house was built sometime between the 1950s (or earlier) and the 1990s, the tank is beyond saving and must be removed or properly – and legally – abandoned in place.
Can you still get an underground tank installed at your house? Sure, but it is not needed. The better option these days is to install a tank outside the house or in the basement.
Frequently Asked Questions About Removing An Oil Tank
What are the steps involved with removing an underground tank?
The basic steps are to:
- Uncover top of tank
- Cut a large hole in it
- Suck out oil and sludge
- Remove the tank out of the ground
- Check soil with a meter onsite
- Take a soil sample to send to the lab,
- Backfill the excavation with clean fill dirt
- Provide the homeowner with a closure report of all activities performed, with pictures included.
Do you have to tear up the entire yard to remove underground oil tanks?
Nope. If the tank is clean and not leaking, the disturbance will be minimal. Still, we spread seed and straw when we are done to further minimize how noticeable the tank removal is.
Can we do a tank removal in place?
Sure, but doing a legal tank abandonment is more expensive in most cases than a tank removal.
For those who would like to know more about the tank removal process, read on.
For starters, it is illegal in Maryland for you, as the owner, or any contractor to dump sand or gravel down the fill pipe and then cut the pipes off.
Simply put, that is not a tank abandonment for the following reasons:
- You won’t be removing the oil and sludge.
- You won’t be testing the soil.
- You will not fill the tank up 100%. Instead, it will create a pyramid in the tank, while most of the tank is left unfilled.
Without a legal tank abandonment, you could be held liable if the tank leaks and contaminates your neighbors’ property or well water.
These are the steps for doing a legal tank abandonment:
- Uncover top of tank (usually by hand)
- Cut hole in tank
- Pump out oil and sludge
- Clean tank
- Cut hole in bottom and check dirt below tank for leakage
- If found clean and not leaking, take soil samples then completely fill the tank in place with a material of our choosing. This could be stone dust, stone, gravel, or sand.
- Then we backfill the hole and provide you with a closure report of our work.
- If the soil on site reveals the tank has been leaking, then the tank has to be removed so we can remediate the contaminated soil.
How many days does a tank removal or abandonment in place take?
GreenTRAX will complete the job in hours, not days. In many cases, it is only a matter of a few hours.
What happens if our home’s oil tank is leaking?
Do not fret, you are in good hands when you use GreenTRAX.
This kind of work is our specialty. It’s what we do every day, and we have removed thousands and thousands of tanks across Maryland.
We will take care of everything for you. This includes:
- Notifying the MDE of the leak
- Digging out and hauling away the contaminated soil using our own equipment and dump trucks
- Backfilling the hole
- Spreading grass seed and straw
- Sending you and the MDE inspector the closure report packet when complete
- We will also fill our reimbursement packet for you
What is the reimbursement packet?
The State of Maryland has a homeowner reimbursement fund to help residential customers get their money back when they have a leaking tank (underground or aboveground).
GreenTRAX will fill out the technical parts of the application. We’ll also provide you with detailed instructions of how to complete it and where to send it when you are done.
What if I have more questions or need more explanations? When I call you, will you rush me off the phone because you are busy?
Never. GreenTRAX is here to help. We always take the time to answer all your questions and walk you through the process. We are the best, most efficient, most helpful tank removal and installation company in Maryland.
Final Thoughts About Oil Tank Removal In Gambrills
One more thing since we are talking about tank removals in Gambrills, MD.
Many properties still have a private potable well for drinking water and are not connected to public water.
The concern here is that when you have a below ground tank and a well, a leaking tank has the possibility of contaminating the well water. Because of this, the MDE requires the well be tested if the tank has leaked. Don’t worry, though, we will handle this for you, too.
Lastly, if you are thinking about selling your house, get the tank removed and replaced now. Don’t wait.
If you are buying a house with a UST, it normally falls back to the seller to replace the tank before settlement. If you are a real estate agent and or a home inspector and you have a property with a buried oil tank, call us. If you have an old above ground tank that you want replaced, we will handle this for you.
Don’t trust your tank removal and replacement project to just anyone. We will assist you with the project from start to finish. We will remove your existing underground or old aboveground fuel tank and replace it with a brand-new aboveground tank.
Call GreenTRAX today at (410) 439-1085.
