Indoor tanks

An old oil tank in your crawlspace or basement

Not every oil tank is buried. Many Triad homes have a 275-gallon oval tank on steel legs sitting in the crawlspace, basement or garage. These are usually the quickest and least expensive tanks to deal with.

How an indoor tank comes out

Any leftover oil and sludge is pumped out and taken for proper disposal.
The tank is cleaned and vented so it's safe to cut.
If it won't fit through the door or crawlspace opening, it's cut into pieces on site.
The pieces are hauled out for scrap, and the old fill and vent pipes are cut and capped.

Most indoor removals take a few hours and don't involve any digging.

Is an indoor tank an "underground storage tank"?

Usually not. Under state law, a tank sitting on or above the floor of a basement, cellar or similar space is not an underground storage tank, even though it's below ground level. NC DEQ has applied the same thinking to tanks resting in crawlspaces. A tank that is partly buried in the crawlspace dirt can be treated differently, so mention that when you ask for a quote.

Signs it's time to remove it

Rust, weeping seams or damp spots underneath
A fuel smell in the crawlspace or coming up through the floors
You've switched to a heat pump or gas and the tank sits unused
You're getting ready to sell

If oil has dripped onto the crawlspace soil, the contractor will check how far it spread. A leak must be reported to NC DEQ within 24 hours.