Signs Your Heating Oil Tank May Be Leaking
Many leaking oil tanks are found by accident. These are the warning signs listed by the NJDEP in its homeowner guidance. One alone does not prove a leak, but each is a reason to look closer.
The nine signs
- An unexpected jump in oil use. More oil used than the weather or your heating pattern explains.
- Water in the tank. If you can check, water in an underground tank is a warning.
- Constant trouble with the oil burner. Repeated clogs or stalling.
- Stressed or dead vegetation over or around the tank, in a patch that does not match the rest of the lawn.
- Oil odors away from the burner, for example in a basement corner or utility room.
- Taste, odor or other problems with well water, if you have a private well.
- Oil stains on basement walls or floors near the tank.
- Oil or a sheen in a sump or French drain.
- Oil or a sheen in nearby ditches, storm drains, culverts or water bodies.
What to do if you notice one
Do not wait to see if it goes away. If you believe oil has reached the environment, the NJDEP says the discharge must be reported immediately, within 15 minutes of discovery, to the hotline at 1-877-WARNDEP (1-877-927-6337). The homeowner or the contractor can report it.
After the report, the tank owner has to hire either a certified subsurface evaluator or a Licensed Site Remediation Professional to investigate and clean up. Read more in when to call the NJ DEP hotline.
What if you only suspect a tank?
If you see some of these signs but no tank is known, you need to find out whether one exists. A sweep locates buried tanks, and if the result is unclear an exploratory dig identifies what is there.
A sealed tank can still leak
A tank that was abandoned in place under a permit is not guaranteed to be leak free. The NJDEP says it is aware of many cases where such tanks were later removed and contamination was found. See Is It Safe to Leave an Abandoned Oil Tank in the Ground?.
Keep notes
Write down what you noticed, when, and any photos. They help the professionals and your insurer later.
For a sweep anywhere in New Jersey, call Oil Tank Scan NJ at 732-673-1584.
