FAQ's Oil Tank Removal | Oil Tank Detection | Soil Remediation

So many questions and so little time.

For your convenience, we have compiled a list of the most frequent questions we get asked on a daily basis. Please remember, if you need more details just go to the specific subject heading on our website. Also please know that we are just a phone call or email away and would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

What is your standing with the Better Business Bureau?

We became an accredited member of the Better Business Bureau in 2008. Since then we have proudly and consistantly maintained an A + rating.

Feel free to select the Better Business Bureau Logo at the bottom of each page our website to check out our ranking.

Do you have Worksafe BC coverage?

We are fully covered by Worksafe BC.

Are you fully insured?

We carry home liability insurance, ensuring that whether your own a residential or a commercial property, you can be confident that your are covered.

How long have you been in the oil tank removal industry?

There are a lot of new companies in the industry over the years and many of them do not have much experience. They may say they have a “combined experience” of over a certain amount of years, but how many employees’ experiences are they combining? You can always check on the BBB website to see how long a company has truly been in business.

What is your service area?

We are proud to service the entire lower mainland. We offer great prices from greater Vancouver to the Fraser valley. We have employees with trucks from Vancouver to surrey and that helps us keep a competitive edge on pricing.

Tri-City Tank Tech specializes in Residential and Commercial heating oil tank removal in Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Richmond, Delta, Ladner, Tsawwassen, Langley, Abbotsford, Aldergrove, Chilliwack, Mission, Surrey, White Rock, Belcarra, and Anmore.

What does your costs include?

There are some companies that do not include backfill, landscaping or even labour, as part of their pricing. If this is important to you, we suggest you ask them to be transparent and include all foreseen cost associated with the project from the beginning. By not including these costs as part of there initial quotation it makes their prices seem low; however, these charges (backfilling, labour, and finishing costs) are an integral part of the process and will add a substantial cost at the end of your job. If your property is contaminated, these charges will add up quickly and will not be a pleasant surprise at the end of your project. If they are not factored in (budgeted for) from the beginning of the quotation your costs will be considerably higher and you will get stuck paying whatever they want to charge you.

We understand that in the rare occasion backfill or landscaping is not necessary due to upcoming demolition or construction. In these cases if you do not want backfill or landscaping (finishing) please advise us from the beginning of the quotation, so we can give you the appropriate discount.

Do you recommend any environmental consultants?

As part of our quotation process we always include a list of environmental consultants; however, we are happy to work with anyone as long as they have the proper credentials, insurance coverage and are able to provide you with your full environmental report at the end of the job.

Please visit the Soil Remediation heading on our website to get more information on this subject or navigate directly to the “Do you recommend any environmental consultants ?” for more details on this specific topic.

How much do environmental consultants cost on average?

Dependent on the city most environmental consultants charge around $1350-$1450 for most cities in metro Vancouver. This price will usually include 5 samples (North, South, East, West and Base), 1-2 site visits, and your final environmental report that many cities require.

Please visit the Soil Remediation heading on our website to get more information on this subject or navigate directly to the “How much do environmental consultants cost on average ?” for more details on this specific topic.

Do you have your own environmental consultant on staff?

No, we do not employ an environmental consultant on staff as we feel it is a MAJOR conflict of interest. After all, the consultant is the one who says if a job is contaminated and tells the oil tank removal company when to stop removing contamination. This important task should be left to an independent third party who does not directly benefit from the contamination removal and has a totally unbiased professional point of view.

Please visit the Soil Remediation heading on our website to get more information on this subject [Soil Remediation] or navigate directly to the “Do you have your own environmental consultants on staff ?” for more details on this specific topic.

What does an environmental consultant do?

Environmental consultants are certified professionals that have many

They take samples from the excavation after an oil tank is removed
They monitor the contamination removal, and take samples as needed.
They provide direction during contaminated soil removal
They take the final samples for the project and create a site profile.
They prepare and send full environmental reports to the appropriate destinations upon completion of the job.

Please visit the Soil Remediation heading on our website to get more information on this subject or navigate directly to the “What does an envrionmental consultant do ?” for more details on this specific topic.

Do I need an environmental consultant?

All cities have their own bylaws regulating whether you need to engage an independent environmental consultant to take samples at your property. If your property is zoned as commercial, or is in a riparian zone, then it is usually required to get an environmental consultant. We will help you determine if an environmental consultant is needed, give you tips on how to select one, and give you a list of recommendations.

Please visit the Soil Remediation heading on our website to get more information on this subject [Soil Remediation] or navigate directly to the “Do I need an environmental consultant?” for more details on this specific topic.

How do I know if my property is contaminated?

There are signs of contamination that may or may not be present when removing an oil tank; however, the only conclusive way to make an assessment would be to take samples and to test them for the appropriate suspect contaminates.

Please visit the “Soil Remediation” heading on our website to get a more information about this topic and this subject.

What are some signs to look for?

The most present indications of contamination on site are usually hydrocarbons odor in the soil and/or the surrounding affected soils around the tank exhibiting a blue color.

Please visit the “Soil Remediation” heading on our website to get a more information about this topic and this subject.

On average, how much contamination needs to be removed from a property?

Every property is unique and should be assessed on an individual bases, since there are so many factors that contribute to the presence and spread of contamination:

When did the tank start to leak?
How much oil was in the tank?
Is the yard slopped?
Does your property have a high water table?
What types of native tills surround your tank?

Keeping in mind all of the above variables, we find that on average most properties clean up within 1-4 bins, which equates to approximately 10 – 40 tonnes. Some properties may clean up in less than a bin, and in some extreme cases the total may go over 5 bins. Throughout the process our clients have control of how many bins go out each day and are kept fully updated throughout the process so that the project does not get out of control.

Please visit the “Soil Remediation” heading on our website to get a more information about this topic and this subject.

Can you tell if contamination is present before the tank is removed?

Unfortunately, it is difficult to assess if contamination is on the property before a tank is removed, and if an oil tank company tells you it is, be very cautious of there intentions.

Please visit the “Soil Remediation” heading on our website to get a more information about this topic and this subject.

Why is it important to clean the contamination?

There are many reasons to remediate your property:

To keep the environment clean, and free from pollutants introduced into the ecosystem.
To remove the potential of legal liabilities pertaining to the cross migration of contamination to your neighboring and/or city property.
To remove the risk of pollutant exposure to your family and pets.
To stop the chance of consuming hydro carbons, if your property is supplied by well water.
To adhere to your local cities and/or the Ministry of Environmental guidelines.
To make your property more marketable when selling your house in the future.
To renew your insurance, or mortgage (dependent on their internal policies).

Please visit the “Soil Remediation” heading on our website to get a more information about this topic and this subject.

What is contamination?

When involving storage tanks, contamination can be described as the introduction and/or presence of an undesired foreign substance into the environment.

Please visit the “Soil Remediation” heading on our website to get a more information about this topic and this subject.

For examples, please visit our gallery and check out our pictures of contamination.

My oil tank is under a structure or an addition; can I just fill my oil tank with sand?

The answer to this question can vary dependent on many factors:

Would removing your tank affect the structure of your building?
What does your city require?
Does your insurance company, mortgage broker, or perspective buyer, have certain expectations that need to be meet?

Please visit the Oil Tank Removal heading on our website and navigate to the “Abandoned/Decommissioned tanks” topic to get a more in depth answer on this topic and this subject.

My tank was pumped and filled with sand years ago; can I just leave it in the ground?

In most cities, it is still mandatory to remove a decommissioned/abandoned oil tank if it does not pose a risk to the structure of any buildings.

Please visit the Oil Tank Removal heading on our website and navigate to the “Abandoned/Decommissioned tanks” topic to get a more in depth answer on this topic and this subject.

What is a decommisioned/abandoned tank?

An abandonment/decommissioning of an oil tank involves rendering a tank inoperable, clean, structurally stable and eliminates or documents the possibility of contamination risk to the surrounding environment.

Please visit the Oil Tank Removal heading on our website and navigate to the “Abandoned/Decommissioned tanks” topic to get a more in depth answer on this topic and subject.

For examples, please visit our gallery and check out our pictures of abandoned/decommissioned tanks.

How often do tanks leak?

Unfortunately this question is not as simple as it may seem. Some companies may try to give you a percentage of tanks that leak; however, they are purely throwing out numbers, as it is impossible to truly give an accurate answer.