Royal Sonesta 1000-gallon UST Replacement with AST
CommTank removed a 1,000-gallon underground storage tank (UST) and replaced it with a 750-gallon aboveground storage tank (AST) on a concrete pad at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge, MA.
CommTank crews started the Royal Sonesta project by setting up a temporary 275-gallon Roth tank next to the emergency generator and installing fuel lines to it. The remaining fuel was transferred into the Roth tank and a fuel storage tank on our service truck. The top of the UST was hand excavated due to the confined space to work. The 1000-gallon UST was cut open and cleaned before being removed from the ground. The tank was then prepared for the fire department inspection and the excavation bottom was screened for volatile organic compounds (VOCs). When no VOCs were found, the excavation was filled with clean sand and stone, and the UST was taken to a licensed tank yard.
The same area where the UST was removed was then compacted and covered with ¾ crushed stone for a new concrete pad. The pad was constructed using #5 rebar and poured to 8” thick. A new Highland 750-gallon dual wall AST was delivered on site and placed on to the concrete pad. A 12’ high vent pipe was installed with an audible overfill alarm. Emergency relief vents were installed for both the primary containment and interstitial spaces. A lockable fill port was installed with a 5-gallon overfill containment as part of the piping for the supply and return lines. The Pneumercator interstitial space sensor and level probe from the UST were reused in the AST. A CommTank technician re-certified the Pneumercator, tested the generator and left the system ready for operation.
Dan Hoag has worked in the environmental and tank storage industry for 16 years. Dan’s range of expertise includes designing systems for oil spill clean-ups, treating soil contamination through "in situ" oxidation and testing, and inspecting underground storage tank systems. As head of Marketing and Information Technologies at CommTank, Dan draws from field experience to write about fuel, water and chemical storage technologies, and the regulations that affect them. He has developed training courses in home inspection, underground storage tank operator, ultrasonic thickness and tank tightness testing. Over the past decade, Dan has published over 60 articles about industry trends and has documented commercial, residential, and environmental projects through illustration, videos, and photography. When Dan unplugs from technology, he spends his time backyard farming, hiking, and kayaking, while masquerading as a hockey player during the wee hours of the morning.