Ralph Realty Gas Station Renovation
CommTank completed the removal of a 1000-gallon underground storage tank and installed a 5000-gallon fiberglass underground storage tank as part of a gas station construction project in Randolph, MA. The owner of Ralphie's Gas & Convenience Store also hired CommTank to install a new canopy and 3 new dispensers.
A 5,000-gallon UL-58 dual-wall fiberglass underground storage tank (UST) was installed in the tank grave of the former 1000-gallon UST. The new UST was installed using four concrete dead-men to anchor it. Base fill was installed on all sides of the tank and piping. An aluminum drop tube with an overfill prevention valve and one fill port with a 5-gallon spill bucket was connected to the tank top.
Two observation wells were installed on either end of the new tank. A containment tank sump and three dispenser sumps were installed and piped to the new UST and three existing fiberglass tanks. D/W flex product piping with 4” secondary conduit and entry boots was used to connect the tanks to the dispenser sumps. A Veeder-Root™ TLS-350 was installed and connected to an interstitial space sensor, an audible/visual overfill alarm, and four sump sensors. One 11/2 HP Red Jacket submersible pump, with a mechanical leak detector and control box, was installed on the new UST and piped to the dispenser.
The existing asphalt was saw cut and excavated 18” in the footprint for the new concrete pad. A 12” base of crushed stone was installed and compacted for the new concrete pad. The concrete pad was constructed to be 10” thick and 39’ wide by 33’ long with layers of rebar.
The tank was pressurized to 4 pounds per square inch (PSI) and held pressure for more than one hour. A vacuum pressure of –15 PSI was applied to the new secondary containment for the UST and held for over a 24-hour period. The primary containment on the product supply and vapor recovery return lines was pressurized at 50 PSI and held pressure for over a 24-hour period.
After placing fuel in the tank, satisfactory operation of the monitoring system was ensured, prior to the system being placed into 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.