Oil Tank Removal & Replacement in NH, MA & ME

The first factor is the style of oil tank. We offer Granby steel tanks and Roth double-walled tanks. Roth tanks are slightly more expensive than Granby tanks. 

The second factor is the size of the oil tank. Smaller tanks are easier to move in and out but hold less oil while larger tanks can hold more oil and require fewer fills but can present difficulties when moving into or out of your home. To learn more about choosing the right size and style of tank, check out the section on choosing the right size of tank later in this FAQ. 

The third factor is our route of access and egress, or how we will get the old tank out and the new tank in. As the distance each tank needs to be transported increases, so will the price of the job. 

The fourth factor that determines the cost of your oil tank removal and/or replacement is the amount of piping that will be needed. Our standard process is to try and keep customer costs down by re-using as much of the old piping as is safe and feasible, as a complete re-piping will require a lot more materials and labor and thus cost more. Egress issues are the factor with the greatest potential to impact your project quote. 

The most important factor for sizing is if the tank will fit in your home. 

The standard size of a residential oil tank is 275 gallons; about 95% of homes are compatible with these standard size tanks.

However, there are some older homes in which the tank was set downstairs before construction was completed, or homes of any age in which the owners made modifications without realizing that those modifications could complicate the removal and replacement of the oil tank. 

The other factor to consider with tank size is how much oil you require. Consider your past fill amounts and frequencies, as well as oil price fluctuations throughout the seasons. Space permitting, it may make more sense to have a larger tank to avoid purchasing more oil in the winter and which will require fewer refills. 

In some older homes, the oil tank was placed downstairs before construction was then completed atop it. And in homes of any age, homeowners may have made modifications without realizing they would make it very difficult to remove and replace the oil tank. This can often be the case when the tank is in a crawl space or behind a finished partition. 

When that is the case, we may need to cut out the old tank and install a new tank in the next size down. 

Our qualified technicians at Pitch Perfect Tank Pros have seen just about every basement configuration there is to see and take pride in removing the oversized tank with as little disruption to the surrounding space as possible and absolutely no mess. 

If you are in an older home and your tank can’t be easily removed, it may well be the original tank that was placed there when the home was first built. In this case, Pitch Perfect Tank Pros strongly encourages you to have the tank checked by a professional to ensure it is still working properly and the risk of an oil leak is no greater than usual. 

Oftentimes, oil leaks can occur in the first filling of the season in older tanks. Pressure builds up, a pinhole forms, and the tank leaks.

In general, if your oil tank appears to be getting wet at the bottom, or if there are any signs of dripping, an oil leak may be occurring. 

Thankfully, oil leaks can almost always be either seen or smelled, so if you pay attention as the tank is being filled, you should be able to notice the leak as soon as it begins. 

Other signs of an oil leak include higher oil usage than normal, the smell of oil around the tank, a missing or broken fuel gauge, oil stains beneath the tank, unstable tank legs, leakage around the vent or fill pipes, any signs of rust or pitting, or oil dripping from the tank. 

Between the cost and potential safety and environmental concerns, an oil leak can be a catastrophic event for your property. 

Oil leaks can cost up to $50,000 to clean up. The foundation must be dug out at least six feet to ensure all oil has been removed, and soil remediation and waste cleanup (which itself can cost upwards of $100,000) will also be required. 

Beyond the monetary cost, oil leaking on your property carries health and safety concerns for the residents of your property and environmental concerns for your property itself. 

There is no way to know exactly how long until a tank has before leaking … until it leaks. 

Many of the oil tanks our team replaces now are in older homes and are between 20-50 years old. Many homes along the Seacoast have oil tanks that have never been replaced.

At the same time, waiting too long increases the risk of a potentially catastrophic oil leak on your property and all the associated financial and safety costs that come with a leak. 

For that reason, the frequency of your oil tank removals and replacements are up to each customer’s discretion. 

We encourage every property owner to weigh the cost of replacing an oil tank and the peace of mind that can bring against the saved cost of not replacing an oil tank and the potential that affords for an oil leak on your property.

We take pride in minimizing the disruption caused by our tank removals and installations. In addition to being on time, professional, and courteous, minimizing disruption also applies to any unsightly messes or unpleasant odors. 

The entire oil tank removal process takes under an hour. Thanks to the multiple steps we take to ensure no smell lingers beyond our time on your property, it is exceedingly rare for residual oil smells to linger. 

Most states allow of to 1,325 gallons of oil to be stored in a standard single family residence, which is almost 5x the capacity of the standard 275 gallon tank. 

If a home has relatively challenging modes of access and egress (steep hills, long distances, etc) it may be sensible to reduce the number of fills required by increasing capacity. Winter deliveries can be especially challenging and costly due to snow building up in driveways and paths leading behind a home where the tanks can be filled. 

There are larger Roth tanks with 400 gallon capacity, as well as the option to connect two standard Granby tanks together for a total capacity of 550 gallons. 

In short, maybe. We can’t say for sure without evaluating the stains. 

Our technicians are happy to do so and then provide you with more information about how much it would cost to remove the stain and what the risks may be of leaving the stain in place so you can decide upon the course of action that makes the most sense. 

We are proud to serve homeowners and all property owners along the Seacoast of New Hampshire, Southern Maine, and Northeastern Massachusetts. 

Residential heating oil tanks are exempt from federal regulation but must comply with local fire ordinances. Each product meets the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) 30 Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code and Underwriters Laboratory. The oil heat industry has been working to ensure that oil storage tanks are safe. Heating oil tanks installed aboveground must be able to withstand severe heat and not contribute to a house fire. Many products have double-wall containment and leak detectors to provide an extra level of safety and peace of mind.

New Hampshire's Department of Environmental Services has a SafeTank program. Qualified homeowners can get up to $3,300 in financial assistance to upgrade, replace, or remove substandard home heating oil tank systems. We are a Safetank program assistance vendor and can help you navigate this process — use the form below to get in touch or give us a call.