Underground oil tank?

Question

what is the least expensive way to fill an abandoned underground oil tank ? it's empty and i haven't used it for over 4 years. i have inside oil tanks now. someone suggested concrete but it's a 500 gal. tank and that could be expensive. any suggestions would be appreciated.

Answer 1

Make sure it's empty, fill it with water and seal it real good. If left empty it could float out of the ground in a heavy enough rain. 2.5 cubic yards of concrete would fill it but would cost you well over $200 plus a fee for a small load plus tax plus big ruts in your yard from the truck. Good luck.

Answer 2

I wouldn't fill it with anything just yet.

Check with your local city ordinance.  Abandoned tanks might need to be dug up.  Filling the tank with anything might make it more difficult and expensive down the road.

You cannot stealth this, many towns have blueprints identifying where tanks, in or out of service might be.

Under the circumstances it might be difficult to pass title to the property some time down stream without taking care of it the way they decree.

Answer 3

Many commercial companies who work with underground storage tanks use sand to fill abandoned tanks. It's usually pretty cheap to do so.

Answer 4

Why do you need to fill it? Make sure it's sealed so rain water doesn't get in it and leave it.

Answer 5

Why not dig it out?

Answer 6

Jughead and Jim both have good points.

Concrete would be expensive, but DO NOT use water.

When the tank eventually rusts, you will have a contamination problem that could get very expensive.

Have someone (usually your oil supplier) pump out the remaining oil. Then fill the tank with sand to prevent it from floating. If you have a stand pipe for filling the tank, you can cut that pipe off about 3" below the ground, but DO NOT use a cutting torch to do that.