High Point · Jamestown · Thomasville

Oil tank removal in High Point

High Point grew fast in the first half of the 1900s, and many of its mill-era and mid-century houses were built with oil furnaces. Neighborhoods around Emerywood and the older streets near downtown still turn up buried tanks when homes change hands.

High Point sits in more than one county

Most of High Point is in Guilford County, where Guilford County Environmental Health oversees underground tank issues locally. Parts of the city reach into Davidson, Randolph and Forsyth counties, where NC DEQ's Winston-Salem Regional Office handles tank leak reports. The contractor who quotes your job will know which office applies to your address.

Remove it or close it in place?

Most buried tanks in an open yard come out of the ground. That's the cleanest answer for a future buyer. When a tank sits under a slab, a driveway or a later addition, closing it in place is common: the tank is pumped, cleaned and filled with sand or foam. Both options should come with paperwork you keep with the house.

Signs to look for

• A capped 2-inch pipe sticking a few inches out of the grass near the house
• A thinner vent pipe with a mushroom cap against the foundation
• Cut-off copper lines entering the crawlspace or basement wall
• An old chimney flue that no longer serves anything

Found one of these? See what drives the cost, or request a quote.