Time to troll for experience. I'm looking to buy a house that has a 1000 gal underground fuel oil tank of unknown age. The house is in a rural area with plenty of private wells and surface water. I want the tank tested for leaks and the soil ck'ed as well, so I called around and got some prices (about $500) for "tightness testing" . I'm told that this will get me a "vacuum test" and some soil borings around the tank. The guy said they isolate the tank from the boiler and place a microphone in it and then apply a mild vacuum and then the noises it makes tell the story. What I forgot to ask about was does this test give a picture of the general condition of the tank or just tell me its not leaking right now? If it passes my plan is to remove it and relocate the oil storage inside the new workshop/garage (to be built next spring/summer) and if it fails compel the current owner to handle the removal ,disposal and any remediation.
Comments, questions, horror stories and experiences (firsthand and hearsay) all welcome.
Andy