Comfort Line - Questions and Answers

The Autumn 1998 edition of Comfort Line contained a question and answer section on underground oil tanks. If you are interested in reading that segment, you can find it here In this issue we expand on some of the topics discussed at that time.

If I decide to replace my underground oil tank, can I install another tank underground?

Yes, absolutely! The new underground oil tanks have special coatings and rust prevention features to make them perfectly safe to install underground. However, our advice is that it makes more sense to install a replacement tank or tanks in the basement or above ground if you have no basement. It is also less expensive.

Is it safe to install an oil tank in the basement?

Heating oil is combustible, not flammable. In order to get it to burn, you have to heat it to 140 degrees. Therefore, it is legal and perfectly safe to install heating oil tanks in the basement. In comparison, because propane is flammable and highly explosive, it is illegal to install propane tanks in the basement.

What are my options if I choose to install a new tank or tanks in the basement?

You can install the bare steel tanks that have been used extensively in this country for decades. Generally, these tanks come with a one-year warranty (tank replacement only). Another option is to install a Roth Double Wall Safety Tank, which is manufactured in Europe. These tanks are upright and rectangular in shape and come standard with a ten-year warranty including $1 million of environmental clean-up coverage. The inner tank is made of plastic and the outer tank is made of galvanized steel. These tanks have been used extensively in Europe since the early 1970s.

Which type of tank does Hart & Iliff recommend?

Although the Roth Double Wall Safety Tank is slightly more expensive, it is vastly superior to a bare steel tank. The life expectancy of a Roth Tank is at least double the life expectancy of the single wall steel tank. When we first saw this tank, we were so impressed with it that we became an area distributor.

If I install tanks in my basement, will I have an oil smell?

Absolutely not! A properly installed basement oil tank will produce no smell. The correct way to install an oil tank in a basement is to run both a fill pipe and a vent pipe through an outside wall.

If my tank leaks, will the clean-up be covered by my homeowners insurance?

Homeowners insurance policies only cover what is known as "third party" environmental claims. They do not cover "first party" claims. Therefore, in the event of a leak, your homeowners insurance would cover the clean-up of your neighbor's property but not your property.

How can I protect my property in the event of a release from my oil tank?

We offer an environmental protection program called ProGuard that offers $100,000 of environmental clean-up coverage to your property. The program also offers $2,000 towards the replacement of your tank in the event of a release. The program is underwritten by a major insurance company and costs only $165 per year for an underground tank or $85 per year for an above ground tank.