Signs Of Underground Oil Tank Leak

Even if the oil has all leaked out and the tank is empty and no one has said anything to you about contaminated soil or groundwater you still may be dealing with a fire hazard.

Signs of underground oil tank leak.

If the leak is large possible health risks result from exposure to oil vapors including headaches dizziness loss of coordination euphoria nausea and disorientation. Contamination may be indicated by signs of a damaged tank or pipe soil that is stained or gives off strong oil odors a sheen on the groundwater or environmental test results. The long term effects to your health as a result of prolonged exposure can be significantly worse. The high concentration of oil vapors that may come with your oil leak can be hazardous to your health.

You re noticing that the ground is turning brown. This indicates that oil is leaking from your underground tank and it needs to be addressed as soon as possible by our professional excavating contractors at a l l. Rain water soaks into the soil. Presence of both a gas meter and an oil tank indicate that the tank may be abandoned.

Above ground storage tanks asts can also leak but oil leaks from asts are typically sudden and obvious. When you have an underground oil tank leak you might start finding stain spots around your property. These symptoms may even be worse with long term exposure. Approximately 542 000 underground storage tanks usts nationwide store petroleum or hazardous substances.

If the buried oil tank has been properly decommissioned they will usually remove or cut the breather tube and fill valve so there will be no signs of an oil tank on the outside of the house. The greatest potential threat from a leaking ust is contamination of groundwater the source of drinking water for nearly half of all americans. Oil is lighter than water and will float on top of the water. Short term effects include disorientation nausea dizziness drowsiness headaches and more.

This photo shows one type of oil tank fill valve. The red you see in the photo is oil. Below are three tips for being able to tell whether or not the oil tank on your property is leaking. These will likely be dark brown and smell like oil and seem to appear out of nowhere.

The oil leaking into your ground will cause damage to the surrounding foliage especially if the tank is under a grassy area. After oil leaks gravity pulls the oil down deeper rain can also help push the oil away from the tank driving the oil deeper and also horizontally.