In older homes it is not uncommon to find that the house, at some point, had an underground storage tank -- either gasoline or, more likely, heating oil. Since underground tanks are buried, not visible, probably any number of them go unnoticed. However, we home inspectors are on the lookout for certain clues as to the existence of such a tank.

That photo below is not a periscope. That pipe looks like a vent pipe from an old underground storage tank. I did not find a nearby fill tube but, where there is a vent there is often a tank below -- maybe several feet underground.

While a home inspector will cite clues such as this, when they are found the job does not include digging holes. I have taken a cap off the fill tube, more than once, to see if I could smell the fuel type. Heating oil has a distinct odor as does gas. There are, of course, other times when such clues might exist at the property but the inspector could not see them for various reasons -- such as dirt or vegetation obscuring the clues.

Thanks for stopping by,

Steven L. Smith