Clearwater Florida Real Estate -How to Handle Fuel Tanks when Buying a Clearwater Home
April 17th, 2008 Categories: Clearwater Florida
Clearwater Florida Real Estate for Sale with Fuel Tanks
Clearwater Florida – We recently were helping a Home Buyer purchase a local home for sale that was an estate sale and during the Home Inspection, Steve Graff, who is one of Tampa Bays best Home 
Inspectors found an abandoned fuel tank buried in the yard. (He continues to find things others miss – our Home Buyers continue to say ˜Thank you Steve!!) Now what?¦ Now your Clearwater Florida Real Estate agents dig deeper for our home buyers in the inspection phase.
We immediately recommmended a Fuel Tank inspection ($75.00) to find out:
- if there was oil still in the fuel tank,
- was it leaking, and
- present the buyer/seller with ways to neutralize it
- get estimate to get rid of it
Why? Because you may not realize it but most mortgage companies and banks will NOT approve a loan for any homes for sale with this potential environmental liability – they require some form of fuel tank removal.
As buyers agents we are advocates for our Clearwater home buyers and this is a perfect example of some of the work we do daily to we help provide those buying a home with all the research and info they need to understand the potential problem along with all solutions and explanations from local experts and resources.
Understanding What to Do If You Have an Old Fuel Tank on your Property
After hearing from Pinellas Counties Environmental team and the State of Floridas Environmental experts we verified that currently:
- Residential properties are exempt from regulation and permitting;
- Fuel Oil Tanks are exempt as well;
Great news for Pinellas County real estate owners right! WOW, so can you just ignore it? I wouldnt and its not recommended because at some time the tank WILL break down underground and eventually leak so THEN if you have a tank that leaks – then the nightmare will begin
Pinellas County covers how to get rid of Hazardous Waste and A & S Oil Recovery is the recommended service provider for the county. They will also explain the process if you want to dispose of it yourself.
What happens when you have a Fuel Oil Tank thats leaking
Here are some of the possible problems Clearwater Home Owners have lurking for a time and place to happen if the fuel oil in your tank gets out into the ground via:
- Tank decay and leakage;
- Damage to tank and oil escapes (ex. lawn maintenance mishap)
-
Someone unknowingly leaves the tank top off (like kids or someone not understanding what could happen) and it rains – oil is lighter than rain and it will rise and as the tank overflows it will flow into the ground and possibly neighboring yards and the drainage system.
Now heres the elephant in the room – residential property and fuel tanks are currently exempt from regulation ˜UNTIL it causes contamination (via one of many ways listed above) – then you must follow the hazardous waste clean up mandated by the EPA – this is extremely expensive.
I learned of 2 instances where homeowners contaminated neighboring properties and both end up costing $30,000+ – Ouch!!! Thats why lenders (banks) dont want mortgages on homes with this liability – because homeowners will ofen walk away from this huge expense and the mortgage company will be left holding the ˜financial bag.
Hear from oil recovery specialist, Frank Amaral of A & S Oil Recovery of Florida Inc. at 727-321- 2602.
(EPA Approved ~ DEP Approved Service Providers)
CORRECTION to the video 4/19/08 – I used the term ˜sludge in the videon and then Frank followed me and used it – he then corrected me off camera (such a gentleman) that its actually just liquid fuel thats getting absorbed. So please note its not ˜sludge that gets cleaned out its liquid fuel that is at the bottom as I watched the process today I saw the whole process and the liquids being first sucked up then pads were left to absorb any possible remaining liquid fuel in the tank)
Tampa Bay Home Owners learn How to Dispose of Fuel Oil Tank at your Home.
If you discover an old fuel tank buried in the yard, mounted in the yard or in the garage you need to get an estimate to have the fuel tank removed or filled. Weve been told there are 2 acceptable methods of doing this.
- Have the tank dug out and removed (this is more expensive)
- Cut the tank open, clean it out and fill it with FloMix (sand and cement mixture/layers)
The FloMix process explained
- Cut Open the Fuel Tank (and take photos at each step)
- Pump out all fuel oil
- Clean Inside of Tank with Hazardous waste clothes that will absorb sludge and remaining oil
- Pressure wash tank
- Allow it to dry completely
- Put down hazmat oil absorbing pads to clean up any remaining fuel liquid
- Fill with mixture of sand and cement, wet it down,
- Cover the hole and and leave in place
We got an estimate from A & S Oil Recovery of Florida for this 300+ gallon abandoned tank which was still almost full to dispose of the fuel oil and handle it via the FloMix process and the estimate was under $500.
Hmmm, lets see, Do you decide to spend $500 and get peace of mind that its been properly handled and disposed of or do you wait for future environmental problems and risk getting a bill for $30,000+ and lots of headaches? To me it seems like an easy decision.
So if you are buying or selling Clearwater Florida Real Estate and you find yourself in this situation we recommend you call the local experts, A & S Oil Recovery of Florida Inc. at 727-321- 2602.
Want to search Clearwater Homes for Sale? Feel free to Search the Tampa Bay MLS and get info and photos immediately! Feel free to give me a call at 727-710-8035.
Cyndee and Jack Haydon, Clearwater REALTORS ~Charles Rutenberg Realty 1545 S Belcher Rd Clearwater FL 33764
Related article:
- Pool Home Inspections discover Tropical Retreats or Money Pits
- Buying Tampa Bay Foreclosures , Bank Owned REO Properties
- Waterfront Home Inspections prevent Home Buyer Financial Heartaches
About Cyndee Haydon
Cyndee Haydon, Realtor with Future Home Realty specializing in luxury waterfront and beach homes of Clearwater Beach - St Pete - Tampa Bay area with her husband and partner, Jack Haydon Cyndee's Google Profile
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