How to inspect and maintain underground storage systems

Motorists cannot continue to drive a car without conducting regular inspections and maintenance, and the same goes for underground storage systems, said Bob Young of the Petroleum Equipment Institute. “Once these systems are installed they need to be inspected and maintained on a regular basis,” Young said in an interview with NPN MarketPulse.

Doing the bare minimum – inspecting or conducting maintenance only when regulatory agencies require it – is not enough, Young emphasized. The Institute has just published Recommended Practices for the Inspection and Maintenance of Underground Storage Tank Systems (PEI/RP900).

“We continue to get reports in the industry that releases or problems with these systems were not a result of installation as much as they were just not inspected and maintained,” said Young, industry resource liaison for PEI, which is headquartered in Tulsa, Okla.

Owners and operators invest large sums in underground storage systems, Young noted, and they are designed to protect the health and safety of employees, the public and the environment.

The Recommended Practice (RP) applies to underground systems, rather than being limited to underground storage tanks, Young stressed. “The committee had a lot of conversation about that,” he said. The RP covers from the shear valve to the underground tank and all the equipment in between, he said.

An appendix contains a checklist that describes daily, monthly and annual inspection procedures for the underground systems. Further, there is a sample site diagram on which operators can model diagrams of their own site or sites.

“Folks should have some type of diagram of their site,” Young said, showing the location of tanks, lines, utilities and so on. “If there is ever anything that has to be done at least they’ll have some kind of map or illustration or diagram of where this equipment is situated on the site,” Young said.

Printed copies of the 34-page document can be purchased on PEI’s Web site at www.pei.org/rp900 or by contacting PEI by phone. Single copies can be purchased for $40 by PEI members and $95 by non-members.

The recommended practices apply to USTs and associated equipment intended to store and dispense gasoline, diesel and related petroleum products at vehicle-fueling facilities. The equipment covered includes all below-grade, liquid- and vapor-handling components accessible from grade over or near the top of the storage tank. The information has been assembled from published and unpublished sources provided by equipment manufacturers, installers and end-users. The intent is to provide guidance to facility owners on how to properly inspect and maintain UST systems by describing recommended practices that promote proper inspection, operation and maintenance of underground storage systems; enhance the longevity and trouble-free performance of underground storage tank equipment; promote fire prevention and storage system safety; promote protection of human health and the environment; promote regulatory compliance and reduce liability associated with the operation of underground storage systems; and promote early identification of potential problems with equipment.

Over the years, USTs have evolved from simple steel cylinders with a few piping connections to carefully engineered tanks with a number of electronically controlled, electrically operated and mechanically sophisticated components. For a modern UST system to operate successfully and safely, numerous components from a variety of manufacturers must be properly installed, inspected and maintained.

The increased sophistication of underground storage systems has largely resulted from the increasing awareness of the environmental contamination often associated with these systems, and the increasingly large through-puts common at today’s retail fuel outlets. Due to these factors, it is no longer acceptable to simply bury a storage tank and forget it. Constant vigilance with regard to detecting leaks and anticipating operational problems are hallmarks of today’s successful storage system operators, PEI said.

The recommended practices are the consensus recommendations of the PEI UST Inspection and Maintenance Committee. The Committee is made up of representatives from petroleum-marketing, equipment-manufacturing, service and installation contracting companies, as well as regulatory agencies.

PEI is the international trade association for distributors, manufacturers and installers of equipment used in petroleum-marketing and liquid-handling operations. Users of the equipment include service station and convenience-store owners, terminals, bulk plants and airport refueling operations. PEI comprises more than 1,600 companies engaged in the manufacture and distribution of equipment used in petroleum marketing operations. Members are located in 50 states and 81 countries.