FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Here are some of Tri-City Tank Tech Ltd. Frequently Asked Questions. If you have more questions please feel free to contact us by email, or by using our contact form. We are available by phone by calling: 604-725-1515
How do I know if I have a tank and how can you find one on my property?
OK – So I have a tank. Now What?
Yikes – the site is contaminated. What does this mean and how do we deal with it?
How does underground oil tanks affect selling or buying a home?
Is Your Company Insured?
How do I find an environmental consultant and what is the benefit to utilizing these services?
Should I hire an environmental consultant?
Having an environmental consultant can be key in mitigating costs associated with remediation of contaminated site?
All homes (and all realtors) are required to provide proof that there is not an oiltank on site
What if the tank is underneath an addition on my house?
What do we do with the tanks?
How much will it cost? Why can’t you give me an exact amount?
Why you should beware of companies that quote you a set amount – especially for contamination
How do I know if I have a tank and how can you find one on my property?
If your house was built between 1950 and 1970 chances are high that there was an underground storage tank utilized to store furnace oil. You could perform a visual inspection of your property; do you see a vent pipe? A filler pipe?
If you’re still not sure, call us and we will come and inspect your property. We use probes and metal detector to scan your property to determine the likelihood of a tank being present. Sometimes we cannot determine with great certainty whether there is a tank or not and we may recommend an exploratory dig to confirm the existence/absence of a tank.
OK – So I have a tank. Now What?
Well, let’s get it out. If you live in a municipality that requires a permit we will obtain a permit to remove the tank (usually after we’ve exposed the tank just to be 100% sure that there’s actually a tank in the ground).
Once the tank is exposed, chances are that there will be some oil or oily residue inside the tank. We will arrange for a pump truck to attend the site and pump out all the contents of the tank, and then we’ll rinse the tank to ensure everything is out of it so we don’t end up spilling oil everywhere as we pull the tank from the ground. Once the tank is out we’ll examine the soil for contamination and will discuss possible recommendations regarding testing the soil and maybe even engaging an Environmental Consultant (which is a requirement in some municipalities)
If there is no contamination, we will backfill the void, topsoil the site and seed it, and before you know it there will be no evidence that we were ever on site.
Once work is complete we will prepare a report certifying that a tank was, in fact, removed from your property. One copy of the report will be sent to you and the other copy will go to your local municipality.
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Yikes – the site is contaminated. What does this mean and how do we deal with it?
Now we need to address remediation of the site. Some municipalities (including Vancouver, West Vancouver, and Surrey) require the homeowner to engage the services of an environmental consultant to oversee the cleanup process.
Once we have the soil sample results back from the lab confirming the site is contaminated, and if we are contracted to do the cleanup work, we will engage in a collaborative process to ensure the contaminated soil is removed as quickly, efficiently, and safely as possible. If an environmental consultant is engaged at the site (which we recommend) we will work under his/her direction.
We would need a crystal ball to determine how much soil will have to be removed, and as such we don’t even like to hazard a guess as to how long it will take. Sometimes it’s as quick as one day, sometimes it isn’t…
Once the work on the site has been complete we will prepare the necessary documentation for both our client and the relevant municipality to prove that the remediation work was done and the site is now clean. We will also keep copies of all reports in our offices should you require a “replacement” copy in the future. The Environmental Consultant (if engaged) will also prepare a report for the client with a more in-depth accounting of the work done and the nature of the contamination remediation.
How does underground oil tanks affect selling or buying a home?
You are required by most banks today to replace aging underground storage tanks (UST) prior to their approving the mortgage of your buyer. In addition, many insurance companies will not insure the property with a buried oil tank as they do not want to insure a property with a potential insurance liability.
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Is Your Company Insured?
We are fully covered by WorksafeBC and we carry Liability Insurance.
How do I find an environmental consultant and what is the benefit to utilizing these services?
You can look in the yellow pages under “Engineers - Environmental” or we can provide you with a list of 4 or 5 consultants for whom we have contact information. When hiring a consultant you should talk to a couple. Ask some “what if” questions to get a sense of possibilities with the cleanup process (if it is even required). Get a couple of different prices. Find out if samples are included in the pricing. Ask about turnaround times for soil samples. If remediation is necessary how often will the consultant visit the site to supervise the removal of contaminated soil and how many visits are included in the pricing? These may seem like simple questions, but they won’t seem simple if you’re on a tight time frame and/or budget and risk losing a real estate deal!!!
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Should I hire an environmental consultant?
Some cities require an environment consultant. While and environmental consultant is not required at all sites, we do recommend that an environmental consultant over sees all sites.
Having an environmental consultant can be key in mitigating costs associated with remediation of contaminated site?
Yes – this is true. You want to be sure that your consultant is attending the site regularly so that digging stops when the remediation has been removed. The last thing you want is to have clean soil being unnecessarily removed. A consultant will be able to advise you and the cleanup company on when to stop digging.
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All homes (and all realtors) are required to provide proof that there is not an oiltank on site – and if there is an oiltank on site the buyer should ensure the owner assumes responsibility for having it (and any possible contamination) removed
As a buyer AND a seller – you should ABSOLUTELY be in touch with a tank company to examine any property that may have a tank on it. If the house was built from 1950 – 1970’ish you should have it examined. Don’t just take the word of the other party. Get your own report – you never know.
What if the tank is underneath an addition on my house?
If a tank is located beneath a structure and cannot be removed or only part of it can be removed we will ensure all the remaining liquid inside the tank has been properly pumped out and then the tank should be decommissioned in accordance with environmental good practices. This rarely happens and each case is unique.
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What do we do with the tanks?
We, at Tri-City Tank Tech Ltd., do our best to be friends with the environment and we take the tanks to be recycled at a licensed recycling facility.
How much will it cost? Why can’t you give me an exact amount?
If we had a crystal ball to tell us how much it would cost… we’d also know who would win the Stanley Cup and we’d have the winning lotto numbers too! Unfortunately the price of a tank removal varies depending on the volume of liquid pumped out. The cost of an average oil tank removal with no contaminated soil is around $1300 - $1900, plus the cost of permits and soil sampling. Please not that this is only an average estimate. If you are interested in getting an estimate, give us a call! Quotes are free – and we’re more than happy to visit you and walk through the process of tank removal with you in person!
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Why you should beware of companies that quote you a set amount – especially for contamination
When we hear that someone has been quoted a fixed price for remediation we really scratch our heads. It is impossible to know how much contaminated soil will have to be removed… and as such, it is impossible to know how much it will cost. Be wary of this, and get a second… or third… opinion. Protect yourself
