Harvard Fire Chief Bob Mignard offers home safety tips in this new column.

This month: an important message about home heating oil storage tanks

In the last two years the Harvard Fire Department has responded to incidents involving several home heating oil storage tanks that have failed and leaked their contents into the ground. The cleanup of these spills can be very costly, often running into tens of thousands of dollars. If oil gets under the foundation of the house, the costs are astronomical. This happened in a community near here and the cost of the cleanup stands at more than $200,000.

As a preventative measure, homeowners should have their oil tanks inspected by a licensed oil burner technician to determine the condition of the tank, especially owners of tanks that have been in service for many years. Such an inspection is inexpensive but invaluable in saving money if it can prevent a spill.

Moisture from condensation can collect in a tank and over time will rust through the bottom. Properly installed tanks will pitch or “be tipped” toward the outlet, allowing any accumulated water to exit the tank and be trapped by the filter.

Older tanks are most at risk, but newer storage tanks are also susceptible to failure under the right conditions. Older tanks can often be identified by the location of the oil outlet on the tank. On older tanks the outlet is located on the end of the tank on the side. These outlets stick out horizontally from the end of the tank. On newer tanks the outlet is at one end but sticks out from the bottom, vertically. If a tank shows any signs of rust, it should be inspected regardless of age or type of construction.

Tanks found to be faulty must be replaced, rather than repaired. Cost could be in the neighborhood of $1,000 to $2,000—a small price to pay to prevent a costly oil spill.

For more information and guidance, contact Chief Mignard by e-mail at rmignard@harvard.ma.us or by cell phone at 978-302-8077.