Derwood, Maryland. Located in Montgomery county. Derwood dates back to the 1800’s. Back in the day this area was know as Deer Park and Deer Wood, before being changed to Derwood and given the zip code of 20855. Derwood is also a very small community, but it has something in common with the larger communities of this county. And that is Oil tanks. Specifically Underground oil Storage Tanks(UST) & Aboveground Storage Tanks(AST). Greentrax is your only place to go when you have an oil tank you need help or have questions about in Maryland.
So while there may only be a little over 5,000 households in this city, Greentrax has removed and continues to remove and serve many households and helping them with their Heating Fuel tank.
You should know that if you have a house in Derwood or nearby Redland area and you have a UST, it’s a very good bet that the tank is very old. So old in fact its time to remove the tank. Buried oil tanks only last about 20 years so when they get older than that they need to be removed and replaced. Nowadays and for the past 25 – 30 years when buried oil tanks get removed or abandoned(filled) in place they get replaced with new Aboveground heating oil tanks. Located either outside of the house or in the basement.
As a homeowner when you are finished using the UST, it is required that the tank be removed or filled legally by a tank removal company (ie. Greentrax). So if you have a new AST installed or switch to a new source of heat the UST has to be dealt with within 180 days. If you are selling the house, the tank will also have to be dealt with prior to closing. Greentrax sees more and more lenders and insurance companies that require the tank to be removed prior to the new buyer closing on the house. Plus the older the house the higher the likelihood of a leak. And that’s not the buyers job to clean up a leaking tank for a house they just bought.
Despite any horror stories you hear from friends or read on the web. Residential oil tanks that leak NEVER COST hundreds of thousands of dollars to clean up. Most remediation jobs are completed for under ten thousand with some only half of that. However there are exceptions where costs could be over ten thousand. Such as if the oil is in the basement sump pump pit or if petroleum has been detected in the well water. Or if the leak is worse than what we standardly deal with. But by and large for the most cases GreenTRAX works on every year tank removal and cleanup costs are reasonable and manageable.
Unfortunately your homeowners insurance will NOT cover the cost for cleaning up a leaking oil tank. Not unless you pay for a special rider or separate policy that covers this type of thing. And as of 2024 MD no longer has any reimbursement programs for helping owners get money back for oil tank cleanup. (Thanks, Governor Moore & the Democratic controlled state legislature for cancelling the 20 year homeowner reimbursement program to help people get reimbursed for doing the right thing and performing cleanups for leaking oil tanks!)
When it comes time to replace your oil tank with a new tank. GreenTRAX offers many options. The standard size most commonly installed is a 275 gallon tank. However we also offer a 330 gallon, 400 gallon and 500 gallon tank options. And for anyone with space restrictions we have several smaller models available as well. Plus vertical tanks, horizontal tanks, skinny tanks, low profile tanks and more than 1 tank installed to suite your needs.
Despite what you may hear, Oil tanks in Maryland are not going anywhere anytime soon. There are millions of tanks – buried and aboveground, in Maryland. Everyone is not switching over immediately. Plus, there are not enough electric generation power plants in Maryland to supply every single home and business with all Electric only heat and electric cars. Plus these power generation plants burn fossil fuel to make your electric. So keep a nice warm source of heat and keep your oil tank, or at least keep it as a secondary source of heat if your electric heater cannot keep the house warm in the dead of winter. Or switch to propane or natural gas. Electric only is not the answer for everyone. For some people with brand new energy efficient, WELL INSULATED houses it may be great. However if your house is 50 or 75 years old and you never replaced the windows and insulation in the entire house. You may be in for a shock if you switch to all electric. So we are not anti-electric heat, we just want you to do your research first and explore all options and know what you are getting and what you are not getting.
But when you do need help with your oil tank, Greentrax personnel have over 30 years in the industry and we have helped thousands and thousands of Maryland families.
Recap and tips:
Remove the buried oil tank now
Tank abandonment is a better option in certain circumstances
Homeowners will never know if the UST is leaking
Do NOT waste money on a tank test or soil test for residential buried oil tanks, they are all too old and just need replaced
Tank removal and replacement can be completed in 1 day or less so you will not be without heat or hot water
Greentrax partners with some of the biggest oil companies in the state to get your job completed efficiently and professionally, we also work with some smaller local companies providing our expertise in the industry
We offer many new tank options with warranties ranging from 1 year to 30 years
New tanks can be installed outside aboveground, in the basement, garage, crawlspace, shed, under the deck or even farther away from the house so you don’t see it
Finally, we are here to help you through the entire process. Call us today with any questions and to get a same day quote. 410-439-1085
