All the time it is on the surface and accessible; there are many tests that can be carried out on any type; size; or, shape of oil tank. You can seal off all openings and pass pressurized air into the tank and then spray soapy water all over the outside – if you see any bubbles; then you have a leak. Air tests can be dangerous; so, something called “hydrostatic” testing is more commonly used. In this test method; the sealed off tank is filled with water which is then pumped to a given pressure reading on a gauge; the pump is shut off; the inlet valve closed and an eye is kept on the gauge reading – no pressure drop means no leaks from the tank. There are also tests that can be conducted on any welds, flanged or other connections, etc.
If you took the same tank underground; as in down into a deep basement; you can still do these tests; but, what can you do if the whole tank is actually buried in the soil – entombed as it were? Basically, you will not be able to do any of them.
So, Why Do We Need Underground Oil Tank Testing In New Jersey
Make no doubt, the need is there; sometimes at the insistence of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP); sometimes for a tank owner’s peace of mind; or, possibly, requested in the terms of an insurance policy; all of whom are fully aware that the tank itself cannot be tested. What they are calling for is not a test to see if there are leakage paths through the tank’s structure; but, an “after the event” leak integrity test as it were. A test, or a series of tests that will show whether not there have been leaks out of the tank at any time in the past. To conduct such tests; soil samples are taken down to around 8 feet in the vicinity of the tank and these samples are then sent to an approved laboratory to be analyzed for their Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon Content (TPHC) – any trace of hydrocarbon content will be proof positive that fuel oil has, one way or another, escaped from the tank and into the soil.
For reliable and approved Underground Oil Tank Testing In New Jersey; you should contact the experts at Steve Rich & Associates Environmental Contractors. Call them Toll-Free on 1.877.7.DEPEND and speak to real people; not answering machines asking you to push option buttons.
