We were contacted by a homeowner that had a contractor walk off his job that morning. He was in a bind because he had purchased the home almost two months ago and had $5,000.00 in escrow for up to 60 days to remove the underground oil tank that no one had known was there until the closing.
The importance of hiring professional and reliable contractors
The contractor they hired did not arrive with right size equipment. He came to the job with an excavator that was too large to fit into a tight area where the oil tank was located. A simple solution was to bring a smaller machine, he chose not to.
After we met with the owner at the home and surveying the issue, we let him know that we would bring a tiny machine that would be able to get into the area and still be able to lift a 550 gallon tank which weighs around 500 lbs.
We mobilized to the job the following week, the DEP who does spot inspections sometimes came to watch over the job as we were working. The tank had been previously abandoned in place and filled with foam. The oil tank was in great shape and had not leaked which was excellent news for the homeowner.
The oil tank was cut in half, loaded into the truck for recycling, certified clean fill was placed into the excavation, removed a stone ramp we had had to build to get the little machine up the hill and the job was done in one day.
This all worked out but being stuck by the original contractor at the last minute really could have been damaging to this homeowner with the deadline they were under for the escrow.
It’s critically important to get a properly licensed, insured contractor that’s easy to reach and communicate with for an underground oil tank removal job or any type of construction project for that matter.
We’ve been helping people remove underground oil tanks since 1999 and we can help you too.
Call us, we answer the phone. 973-670-6334
