I found this buried oil tank vent during a recent home inspection in Smithtown. In this case there was no oil tank fill which can be an indication that the tank was abandoned. When buying a new home always ask the sellers if there are any buried tanks on the property and if so was it properly abandoned. Buried oil tanks do not need to be removed or dug up and there does not have to be any soil testing done as long as there are no signs of leakage. In most cases the tank can be cleaned and filled with foam which prevents collapsing. One danger that I see from time to time is when a homeowner converts to natural gas and has the oil tank removed but the tank fill pipe is still in place. The problem is having the fill pipe in place can lead to accidental spilling if an unknowing company gets the home address wrong and tries to fill the tank at the home with no tank and fills the basement up with oil. For more home maintenance tips visit our blog at Long Island Home Inspection Blog
