You have an active, underground oil tank that is getting on in years and you are concerned about it’s condition.  Maybe your Homeowner’s Insurance Company wants the tank tested.  Are you buying a house with an underground oil tank?  Lawes can help.

Lawes only performs soil-boring tests, which is sampling the soil surrounding your tank.  We won’t perform any tank invasive procedures, so your tank will be safe. 

Once we have your request or permission to perform the test, we will have NJ One-Call mark out all of the public underground utilities.  Please let us know if there are any private utilities in the tank area so we can look out for them.  We also need to know if your tank is underneath asphalt or concrete so we bring the proper tools and patch materials. 

The Technician will start by determining the size of the tank and which direction the tank is situated.  He will measure the tank contents and see if there is any water inside the tank.  While a small amount of water inside a tank is normal condensation, a large amount could indicate a problem.  He will then hand auger down on three sides of the tank to a depth of 12-36” below the tank bottom and retrieve soil samples.  Each sample will be field screened for evidence of contamination.  A water agitation test will also be performed to see if the soil exhibits a sheen.  One sample, pass or fail, will be sent to a NJDEP certified laboratory for analysis to confirm our field results.

The soil analysis results take 48 hours.  Lawes will send you a report, along with a copy of the analysis.  If the tank has failed the test, a tank removal proposal will be sent to the Homeowner.  Our office staff will assist you on the “next step”.

If the tank passed the test, you may want to secure a Tank Security Agreement for protection.  If you have never owned a home with oil heat, please take a look at our “Links” section for information.

Interested?  You can fill out our “Soil Boring” form and email it to us.  You can print out the form and fax it to us.  Or just call – the office staff will be happy to make all the arrangements for you!

Click HERE for our online LAWES SURVEY/BORING INFORMATION FORM