A bit about Arnold, MD
Arnold, MD is a smaller city in Maryland, but it still has plenty of buried oil tanks. The city is a suburb of Annapolis (the unofficial buried oil tank capital of Maryland), so it’s no surprise that plenty of homes in Arnold are heated with oil.
Arnold has a population of about 24,000 people and only has a land area of only approx. 10sq. miles.
Arnold is situated between the Magothy and Severn Rivers. Its beginnings were humble and not that long ago. John Arnold, who is a veteran of the War of 1812, purchased 300 acres and bequeathed it to his son. However, the land had been heavily used by several Indigenous Tribes prior to any European settlement dating back to 500-1500 BC.
Things to do in Arnold, MD
Today the city offers serval parks, fishing spots, shopping centers, and historical sites:
- Tall Trees of Chas Creek Woods – This is the tallest privately-owned woodlands east of the Mississippi River. This are hosts over 50 native tree species, 12 of which are the tallest of their species in Maryland.
- Baltimore-Annapolis Bike Trail – This trail hugs the B&A Railroad from Arnold to Glen Burnie.
- Sandy Point State Park – Known for its beaches and lighthouse, over 1 million visitors come here each year.
Heating oil tanks in Arnold
But did you know that plenty of families in Arnold still heat their home and hot water using oil. So that means there’s an aboveground storage tank (AST) or underground storage tank (UST). If you still have a buried tank at your house, or you are looking to buy a house with a buried oil tank, it is important to know that the tank is most likely original to the house. So that makes the tank VERY old. Most buried tanks last 20 years; if the house was built in the 60s or 70s the tank needs to be replaced.
Oil tank sizes in Arnold, MD
Buried oil tanks in Arnold tend be on the smaller size. 275 gallon vertical or 275 gallon horizontal are very common, as well as a 300 gallon. A 300 is fine, but the 275 gallon tanks were NEVER meant to be buried. SO even though many home builders did, they are a much thinner metal than a typical underground tank. They will get holes and leak much sooner than a tank made of thicker steel. If you know your tank is a 275 gallon it will not last much more than 20 years…PERIOD. Get the tank removed, no ifs, ands or, buts about it.
For the realtors
If you are a realtor and you have a BUYER OR a SELLER and they have a buried oil tank listen up this is for you. For sellers – the tank will need to be removed before settlement even if house is being sold as-is. This is because the buyers lender(bank) or home insurance company can put a halt on settlement if they find out the house has a UST. So sometimes, if you want to sell the house, this has to be done no matter what. For buyers – do not buy a house with a buried oil tank. Unless the seller has proof the tank is less than 20 years old, then it is past its useful life and needs removed.
If you are just moving into the house, it’s not your responsibility to pay for an environmental cleanup from someone else. Also a very important point to remember, if the tank is out-of-use or no longer being used for heat, then the state requires the tank be removed. It cannot sit there and remain as-is. Both parties have enough to deal with, with inspections, contracts, moving selling or buying their next or former property.
Don’t let the underground tank add to the list of things to do. Not to mention the expense but if the tank has leaked there will be additional things we do for remediation and testing and that can take time. But also then there will be additional disturbance to the lawn. It just doesn’t look as good when someone sees their new house with seed & straw covering part of the lawn compared to nice green grass.
Removing an oil tank in Arnold, MD
You may be thinking “I cannot afford to remove the tank and replace it.” But that’s not true. If the tank is clean and not leaking, it is very affordable to remove the UST. Plus the job only takes a couple hours to complete. Then, we can install a new aboveground tank outside or in the basement and get all the work complete in one day – it’s an easy swap out. GreenTRAX will handle the entire process for you. You do not have to do anything (well, except pay the bill of course, we prefer that anyway! LOL)
What if my tank is leaking???
Well yes that does cost more, but then the money is totally reimbursable by the state. Call GreenTRAX and we can discuss more about that and walk you thru the process. But as far as cleanup and remediation of a leaking tank, no, the “BIG BAD STATE” people will not come to your house and haul you to jail or fine you thousands of dollars. That doesn’t happen. The cleanup is a simple process and GreenTRAX does it almost every day somewhere in MD. We have been in the tank industry over 28 years and have removed thousands and thousands of oil tanks and also installed thousands more. We will still get the entire process done for you super fast and not add a ton of time to the process. And again we will handle everything for you, you have enough to worry about.
But back to buying/selling the house…
The entire process to deal with a leaking buried oil tank, INCLUDING getting the closure report from us (which is the most important part of the process for you – this includes among other things a report of the work that was done and the soil results from the lab test) can take about 2 weeks. So do not wait until the last minute. Yes the process can be done sooner when we have to but there are additional rush fees for certain things beyond our control. So we don’t want you to have to spend any more money on this process. Plan ahead and get the tank removed right away. Even if you THINK you may have a buried oil tank on the property, but aren’t sure, call GreenTRAX and we will help you. 410-439-1085
