Living the Green Life: Home Heating Safety

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation sent this bulletin on 10/10/2023 11:56 AM EDT
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
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Home Heating Safety

basement home heating tank

October is here and colder weather is approaching. As a result, it's the perfect time for homeowners to make sure that their heating oil storage tanks are free of (potential) leaks or spills prior to acquiring their first shipment of fuel oil for the upcoming heating season. To avoid leaks or spills, consider working with a company that provides a service contract to maintain tanks and heating systems. If you are a homeowner, it is to your advantage to get your tank(s) inspected annually as it can prevent impacts to human health and our environment from leaks and spills.

Within DEC, the Division of Environmental Remediation (DER) includes spill responders and regulators, some of whom provided their input to produce the checklists below. The checklists cover many common issues for both aboveground and underground tanks. Note that these checklists highlight the most common issues and are not all comprehensive. If you are uncertain with or observe any of the items listed below, please contact your fuel oil service provider for assistance and repair when needed.

Issues Underground Storage Tanks Aboveground Storage Tanks
Areas of
(Possible) Corrosion
  • Fuel oil lines not covered in a protective casing (even if under concrete) to prevent external corrosion
  • Fuel oil lines not covered in a protective casing (even if under concrete) to prevent external corrosion
  • Signs of rust, wet spots, or dents on the tank's surface
  • Bent, rusty, or wobbly tank legs, or an unstable tank foundation
Delivery
and
Overfill Prevention
  • Cracked, stuck, or frozen fuel level gauges or signs of fuel around them
  • Silent overfill whistle while tank is being filled (consult with your fuel delivery person)
  • Improperly sized vent pipes (consult with your fuel delivery person)
  • Partially or fully blocked tank vent from snow, ice, or insect nests
Tank System Integrity
and
Environmental Contamination
  • Presence of any water in the tank (consult with your fuel delivery person)
  • Signs of spills around the fill pipe or vent pipe
  • Oil or oil sheen in your basement sump or French drain
  • Well water has strange tastes or smells
  • Complaints from neighbors of fuel oil smells
  • Stains on the ground or strong oil odor around the tank
  • Browning, dying or loss of vegetation around the tank
  • Using more fuel than normal
  • Signs of spills around the fill pipe or vent pipe
  • Drips or any signs of leaks around the oil filter and any valves
  • Stains on the ground or strong oil odor around the tank
  • Browning, dying or loss of vegetation around the tank
  • Overhanging eaves where snow and ice could fall onto the tank

Make sure to report any actual spill or leak of fuel oil to the DEC Spills Hotline at 1-800-457-7362. For more information on home heating oil tanks, DEC's website provides information regarding Underground Heating Oil Tanks: A Homeowner's Guide.

fuel tank pull

Did you know that?

  • More than two million homes in New York are heated by fuel oil.
  • Spills can result in basement contamination, damage to personal belongings, and contamination of groundwater, wells, soils--often leading to pricey cleanups that are rarely covered by homeowners' insurance.

Photo: An underground fuel tank pull

Remember to share your home heating safety tips with us using #LiveGreenNY.

For more information of how to be a friend of the environment, visit DEC's website.

23 New Certified Climate Smart Communities

Governor Hochul announced the latest round of communities to achieve certification as part of New York State's Climate Smart Communities program. It signifies meaningful steps taken by 23 local governments that met the criteria to be recognized as leaders in local climate action during the program's third quarter review round. This achievement marks the largest number of certified communities from any one round of review in the program’s history.

To achieve Climate Smart Communities certification, communities accumulate points for planning and implementation actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve community resilience to the worsening impacts of climate change. Visit DEC's website for more information on the Climate Smart Communities Grant Program.

Silver Certified Climate Smart Communities

  • Tompkins County (recertified)
  • Village of Hastings-on-Hudson in Westchester County (recertified)

Bronze Certified Climate Smart Communities

Capital Region

  • Village of Catskill
  • Hudson Valley
  • Town of Mamaroneck (recertified)
  • City of New Rochelle
  • Town of Olive
  • City of Peekskill
  • Town of Rhinebeck
  • Town of Rosendale
  • Town of Shandaken
  • Village of Tarrytown

Long Island

  • Town of Babylon
  • Town of North Hempstead

Finger Lakes

  • Town of Irondequoit
  • Town of Lodi

North Country

  • City of Plattsburgh
  • Lewis County

Southern Tier

  • City of Binghamton
  • Town of Hector
  • Village of Montour Falls (recertified)

Western New York

  • Town of Aurora
  • Village of Hamburg
  • Village of Williamsville

See a full list of current certified Climate Smart Communities.

Read more on this announcement in the Governor's press release.

Upcoming Events to Help You "Be a Friend of the Environment"

Have an broken item that you need help fixing? Attend a Repair Cafe where a volunteer repair coach can help you to fix them. 

Have paint that you no longer need?

Reducing your food waste:

Properly dispose of household hazardous waste: