Continuing with some old easy exam questions for Heating …
If an inspector discovers that a property has a buried oil tank, he should:
Active or inactive oil tank?
Active … 
Well, that little bit of witheld information just made this poll useless, don’t you think? I would bet that all of the 5 votes (so far) for “D” would be different if this was stated in the poll. Typically, whenever fuel storage tanks (oil) are discussed here, they are empty/abandoned/inactive. The poll, as posted, inferred this.
Sure would be nice if people gave thought to polls before they were posted!
JMHO
Please do not discourage people from posting .
We are loosing more all the time from being attacked … Roy
I would report all Burried Oil tank active or not here in Canada .
This could be huge cost to have it removed .
Last one I caught that I know off the cost was 2001 and cost $67,000;00 .
I have found others where the people walked away after further evaluation on their part .
I heard a rumor of cost $400,00;00 it had leaked
I mention it in the report either way I had one just 2 weeks ago , No regulation in TN that anyone wants to go by for residential , It can be costly to remove and more if it leaks. All single wall tanks should be removed .,
Apologies Robert and Roy. It just gets frustrating when someone posts a poll without giving any significant thought to it. How often do you see a comment in a thread poll… “None of the above” “Not enough answers” “More info needed” “Don’t understand the question”, etc… etc… etc…
As I see it, Robert is on the Education Committee, and is posting these QOD’s as a learning tool. I feel that any and all educational information, in any form, should be scrutinized for completeness and errors. It does not take hardly any extra effort to get it right. Nick, Ben, and others do this all the time.
Robert, don’t get me wrong. I appreciate what you are doing. Just please be more cognizant of what you write (in the name of education), before you hit the submit button.
Yes, but, are you going to tell your client to remove the tank if there is no evidence of a defect, as stated in answer “D”?
Here in Maine, they have to be removed no matter if active or inactive.
So I would recommend removal no matter what. 
Marcel,
At what point do they need to be removed? Was there a deadline date that they all had to be removed? By your statement, you should never find an in ground tank. Have you?
Yes it is not a case of is it leaking it is a case of when is it going to leak .
Same with PB pipe that is not leaking but it will .
Both are told by me to get it gone .
I think you are nit picking about the Pole !
Poor pole a lot better then no pole .
Roy
You guys should read the original post (that means you Jeff … ;-)) as these are old exam questions. I am posting them without changing it, and replied to Joe that it relates to an active tank (which I think is the intent of the original question) to stir things up.
As with some exam questions, the wording may be ambiguous or there may not be one single answer that stands out as being correct. So you are forced to pick the best or most correct answer.
Hint … look at the Standards of Practice. And these questions are not intended to be regional specific.
Good luck with this one …
…report it to his client. I am unaware of any condition under which I would not report it (or any other description of the systems within the home that I can observe) to my client.
Always recommend that an existing underground tank be removed or replaced.
There are 30,000 unregistered underground oil tank facilities in Maine.
The guidelines for installing underground fuel tanks is lengthy and most of the time, homeowners will not have the back up to verify that the tank is sound and free of leaks.
Most homeowner policies do not cover spills from a buried oil tank unless a rider has bee purchased for that coverage.
If after a leak is discovered and remediated and forensic testing shows that the leak occured before the sale of the home, it now turns into a litagation case for the damage.
Who in the world needs that grief?
Call it out whether active or abandoned.
Here are a few links to read on the subject.
http://realtytimes.com/rtpages/20070329_leakingtanks.htm
http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/38/title38sec563-A.html
TY for posting questions Robert. 
This question is actually very sticky for an “old easy exam question” …
The (most) correct answer is A … the presence of the buried oil tank should be mentioned in the report
Answers B and C can be eliminated because standards require an inspector to at least describe the fuel source.
Answer D would not be correct just based on the information given. You would have to inspect and/or test a buried oil tank to definitively say it needed to be replaced, which is beyond the standards and specifically excluded.
Most inspectors will include additional comments about getting any paperwork on the tank installation to determine the type and age, special homeowners insurance that is needed, inspection and testing of the tank by a specialist before the close of escrow, and budgeting for replacement if it turns out to be an older tank in poor condition. But that is not simply a replacement recommendation. The website www.inspectapedia.com has some good info on this subject.
Sorry Marcel, the article you linked recommended special insurance if there is a buried tank, and even the Maine regulations you referenced recognize that the newer fiberglass or cathodically protected steel buried tanks do not require replacement …