I inspected this tank at a home inspection, and stated the bottom appeared to be fiberglassed. The owner had his oil supplier examine the tank and they stated the tank bottom was not fiberglassed. That is was a part of the normal construction of the tank. The home buyer called me and passed that information and asked again what I thought. I told him I wouldn’t argue with the oil company but in my opinion that is fiberglassed. Am I wrong here?
It is obvious that the tank has rusted out and needs replacement.
Oil tanks are known to rust from the inside out, I have seen fiberglass patches often, It is a temporary repair. The average life span of an oil tank is around 20 years.
I don’t think that’s fiberglass, that’s the original finish and was just the only area that wasn’t painted when they painted it black.
Like someone else said, it was likely painted to cover up rust.
Never seen that on the bottom of an oil tank before. Looks like a patch job.
1 Like
Put in the report what the seller said and to have his oil supplier put in writing that the oil tank is in good condition.
2 Likes
Sound advice from the CMI! Thank you.
You can see it’s a patch of sort, that is not normal for that type of oil tank. Oil spill can cost $100,000+ depending on the area to remedy. No licensed oil contractor/plumber I know is going to okay that in writing. BTW, oil tanks often fail when they are filled… the truck’s pump dumps the oil so fast that if the tank is weak… it finally gives.
before purchase of property…
I agree with Scott.
1 Like
Looks like its also filled with vermiculite to absorb the oil.
Being a licensed oil burner technician I wouldn’t even touch the burner if I found a tank like that. The tank also looks to have a leak around the fill line (oil staining around the 1-1/4 in pipe). Like was mentioned I would have the oil company put it in writing that it’s safe before the property is closed on to limit liability.
Also looking at the fiberglass you can tell it doesn’t follow the tank contours all the way down either. Fiberglass is only allowed as a temp fix in some states into we can get a new tank installed for the customer and usually we only have a certain number of days to replace the tank (most are only 30 days) if your insurance allows that long as well.
2 Likes
Thanks, Travis…appreciate your input.