Is Your Tank Leaking | Underground Storage Tank Leaks

Have a leaking Underground Storage Tank removed by our trained professionals at R&R Landscaping and Tank Removal. We serve all of Central Connecticut and the Hartford, Middletown, and New Haven area, including Avon CT, Farmington CT, Bloomfield CT, Meriden CT, Colchester CT, East Hartford CT, Haddam CT, Hebron CT, and more.

Underground storage tanks can pose a serious environmental threat because of the risk of contaminating soil and ground water through leakage. This is the number one reason why insurance companies and banks have begun to require the removal of underground tanks. This is also the reason that Connecticut’s Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) recommends installation of an above ground oil tank instead. If an above ground oil tank leaks, it is easier to catch early and usually less expensive to repair. When an underground tank is leaking, the problem can go undiscovered for a significant amount of time. The resulting pollution may contaminate the drains around your home’s foundation, drinking water including both ground water and surface bodies of water and your neighbors’ property. All of which you will be legally responsible for cleaning up.

What causes Storage Tanks to leak?

Rust or improper installation are the two causes of tank leakage.

Rust is the most frequent culprit of oil tank leaks. Underground storage tanks are made of steel which will eventually rust. Corrosion, or rust, occurs because of the inherent tendency of iron based metals to revert to a stable form. The water in and around an underground tank plays a significant role in this process. When this water settles at the bottom with bacteria, sediment, and sulfur from the oil the combination of ingredients creates a corrosive acid that will eventually breakdown the steel wall of the oil tank resulting in a leak. The amount of time that an underground tank can remain intact without leaking depends on many different variables: the thickness of the tank, its physical location, the moisture in the surrounding soil and type of backfill material, the pH acidity, the amount of water in the tank and how much damage or scratching was incurred during installation. It impossible to accurately predict when a specific underground tank will begin to leak because of this large number of changeable variables.

Leakage from an improperly installed underground tank is not as common but it is equally detrimental.

What Storage Tank installation mistakes are likely to create leaks?

The four leading installation mistakes that result in leakage are:

• Installing a damaged tank
• Using the wrong type of piping material or creating poor connections
• Installing an underground tank in acidic soil or soil with a significant amount of ground water
• Installing an indoor rated tank that lacks the necessary thickness and anti-corrosion coating of an underground rated tank are

Any one of these mistakes can cause a tank to leak.

If you suspect that your underground tank is leaking, contact R&R Landscaping & Tank Removal today! We will have your soil tested. If pollution is discovered, you can rely on us to take care of the problem from submitting the necessary report to DEEP’s Emergency Response and Spill Division to removing the tank and performing remediation.