How Much Do Above Ground Fuel Tanks Cost?
What is the Cost of Ownership for an Underground Storage Tank?
USTs require a monthly inspection (usually by in-house personnel) and annual testing of the various system components. The approximate testing cost is $1,500/per annum. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) and the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) require a Compliance Certification every 3 years. The aim of the Compliance Certification is to assist in regulatory compliance and to promote good management practices for the UST program. You can apply this form on your own or you can get help through an $800 cost tank management scheme.
Underground Storage Tank Repair Costs
The choices made during design and planning will have a direct impact on a UST’s long-term maintenance, so it’s important to consider future maintenance and replacement. When it comes time to test and repair a buried tank, the number and diameter of the manways make a big difference. Unions within tube sumps allow pipes to be easily disconnected. A pipe chase with extra slack often facilitates fast disconnection and replacement, if necessary.
Steel components that come into contact with water can corrode so that easy access will reduce or eliminate the need for concrete cutting and for repair or replacement excavation of a pipe or fit. Recently the NH Department of Environmental Services issued a warning about the use of flex steel connectors in direct buried applications. Flexible connectors allow pipe repairs in UST sumps where the piping does not contain slack or unions but the manufacturer did not intend the pipe to come into contact with soil. Underground connectors may be used when accessible “inside chase piping” or “closed tank, transfer or dispenser sumps,” according to the Underwriters Laboratory listing UL-2039 flex connectors.
New building materials provide superior long-term reliability which reduces the corrosion risk. Construction materials like nylon, polyethylene of high density, and composite reinforced with fiberglass will not rust or corrode. Water tight double-wall spill buckets hold gasoline, thus enabling surface water to drain into the backfill and improving durability. There is also a buried tank protected against elements such as wind, snow and sun.
What is the Cost of Ownership for an Aboveground Storage Tank?
ASTs include a monthly walk through inspection (by in-house personnel) and an annual review by a qualified inspector of the tank monitoring system. It costs roughly $450/per year. If you have an AST, you must also have and maintain an SPCC plan for the facility. SPCC plans vary according to facility complexity. Developing a plan from scratch can cost between $8,000 and $12,000 and it can cost between $500 and $1,500 to update an existing plan. The SPCC plan will specify your AST inspection cycle by an inspector certified to be STI SP001. The frequency schedule will be based upon your tank’s age and condition. For example; a large field mounted tank with no secondary containment installed near saltwater may require annual inspections but a shop-built tank installed inside secondary containment may have a 10-year inspection period. As part of the Use Permit program, the state of Massachusetts requires annual inspections of all regulated AST. The cost of an inspection varies between $250-$800 depending on the size of the tank.