NEW VErmont FUEL TANK REGULATIONS 

Here's what you need to know... 

As of August 15th, 2017 the State of Vermont requires all fuel storage tanks to be inspected by trained personnel, prior to being filled the first time on or after August 15th and then re-inspected every 3 years thereafter.

Our delivery drivers, technicians and management have received the training and are certified to inspect your fuel tank.  If you're on automatic delivery, we will be contacting you as you come due for a delivery to perform our initial inspection.  We will need access to the tank and piping to do this.   If you call in for your fuel, we'll set up a time when you place your order to complete the inspection.  All inspections will be documented and saved in a hard file at our office as well as on our software.  

There are some rules, that if your tank is found to be in violation of, will require us to red tag your tank and place it on the State's red tagged tank website, essentially placing it out of service.  The rule violations for which the State requires red tagging are as follows:

-Tank must have a vent-alarm whistle terminating within 12 feet of the fill pipe

-Tank must be on a stable foundation

-Tank and tank legs are free of any cracks and of significant corrosion or pitting, rust, spores, dents or bulges and all tank fuel filter, fittings and valves are free of drips or leaks and any other sign of an actual or suspected release of hazardous material.

-Tank fuel lines below grade are installed in a plastic coating or protective sleeve made of non-corrodible material to prevent corrosion

-Vent must be a minimum of 1-1/4" black iron

Our service department is fully equipped to make any necessary repairs to bring your fuel storage tank into compliance.  In some instances a complete fuel tank replacement may be the best action.  We are fully equipped to do that as well.  Give us a call to set up an inspection now if you'd like to get ahead of the curve.  

As part of our annual tune-up that many of our customers choose to do, we will be including the new tank inspection.

The Petroleum Cleanup Fund (PCF) offers financial assistance to residential tank owners toward the removal, replacement, or upgrade of both underground storage tanks (USTs) and aboveground storage tanks (ASTs). The fund provides grants of up to $2,000 for an indoor tank, up to $3000 for an outdoor tank, and up to $4000 for an underground tank. More information on the tank financial assistance program can be found here. Additionally, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a grant and loan program for seniors that can provide up to $7500 for the purchase of a new tank (or make other HVAC repairs), and for most others, it can provide up to a $20,000 loan (1 percent for up to 20 years).  More information on the USDA program can be found here.

While this new statewide requirement might appear to be a burden and/or an unnecessary new regulation, we can assure you (from our own experience in servicing fuel tanks) that the inspection program will greatly reduce accidental spills which can result in significant costs to homeowners, as well as insurance claims, environmental damage, and the loss of personal property ruined by fuel tank ruptures.  We invite you to contact us through this website or by calling us should you have any questions.  Thank you for your time and attention in this matter.