FAQ’s

West Coast Tank Recovery ensures that the client is informed throughout the entire removal process. West Coast Tank Recovery will:

• Obtain an Oil Tank Removal permit from your municipality, and set an appointment with the Fire Department when necessary to supervise the Oil Tank Removal
• Provide the client with a list of Certified Environmental Engineers to take Soil Samples
• Expose the Oil Tank
• Pump out any fluids, cut the Oil Tank and dispose off both at a Certified Recycling Facility
• Back-fill the site
• Provide the client with a package that includes a Certificate of Removal, Permit, Invoice, Oily Water Disposal and Tank Recycling Receipts

Homes built between 1925-1965 are at high risk of having a buried Oil Tank. If visible, there is usually signs such as a filler cap in your lawn or in close proximity to your home, as well as a large ‘vent’ pipe running upwards on the side of your home.

Frequently, in the case of abandoned Oil Tanks, the fill pipes were hidden and the vent pipe removed during landscape or home additions, often making visual detection very difficult.

When any clear sign is absent, we always use appropriate detection equipment to uncover the precise location of the buried Oil Tank.

The responsibility for the removal of the Oil Tank (UST) and remediation of any contamination falls on the current property owner. If you are planning on selling your home, the first step is to have West Coast Tank Recovery scan your property for an Oil Tank.

If an Oil Tank is located, most Insurance Agencies, Banks and potential buyers will request that the Oil Tank be removed. The BC Fire Code and bylaws of twelve municipalities (including the City of Vancouver) all essentially require that out-of-service underground Oil Tanks be removed.