Community Action Programs Oil Tank Replacement
Contents
CommTank provided a tank removal service of a 275-gallon basement oil tank and the installation of a 220-gallon Basic Granby™ AST at this home in Melrose. The elderly owner is wheel chair bound and received financial assistance through the Community Action Programs Inter-City, Inc. (CAPIC) Weatherization program to replace her tank.
The job was not a typical tank replacement. She had no heat prior to a snow storm and her tank was leaking. The tank was also a long distance from the driveway access so it required additional steel piping for the fill and vent lines. Because CAPIC operates on a fixed budget they could not cover the additional expenses. After hearing about this customer’s situation CommTank’s owner decided to cover the cost difference and do the emergency tank replacement on the same day the customer called.
The customer was not able to assist our crew in accessing the driveway or basement so the crew had to bring a snow blower to clear the driveway before they could back the truck in. The basement door was boarded up to limit break-ins so the crew had to remove the boarded area to access the basement. The following are the steps we took to replace the basement oil tank.
Tank Removal
- Obtain necessary permit from the Local Fire Department
- Cut the tanks using a nibbler
- Remove all pumpable contents and tank bottoms
- Clean the inside of the AST
- Remove fill and vent piping
- Remove and transport the 275-gallon AST and associated piping to a licensed scrap yard
Tank Installation
- Obtain necessary permit from the Local Fire Department
- Provide and install one (1) 220-gallon Basic Granby™ AST
- Provide and install one (1) 3/8-inch copper fuel oil supply line overhead from the new AST to the boiler
- Install new fill and vent piping (approximately 26’)
- Install new vent alarm, oil control safety valve, fuel gauge, filter and piping according to 527 CMR 1.
After the work was complete the following letter was sent from this customer describing the service we provided:
‘I just want to thank CommTank for the awesome work they did at my home in Melrose. They tore down part of a wall, shoveled, removed my old tank and replaced it with a new tank, also gave me some oil. The work was done in 4 hours as they said. Also a great job on clean up. I also want to thank Michael and his boss. You guys are the greatest.’
Mrs. K Swanson
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.