Why test before and after tank installation?

Leighton O’Brien’s precision testing on your tank and lines during UST installation ensures a perfectly tight fuel storage system before concrete is poured.

Most fuel storage system issues stem from the date of the original tank installation, including water ingress, and small leaks and weeps from pipes, fittings and vents. These issues are often too difficult to address after concrete is poured, resulting in costly maintenance issues over the life of the asset.

UST installation testing at both the pre-bury and post-bury stages ensures you are putting a 100% tight fuel storage system into the ground.

The question to ask yourself is, why would you consider not testing before you put $100,000 of backfill and concrete over your fuel system?

Installation testing in a ULSD world 

Today’s reformulated fuels with low sulfur and ethanol can hold more moisture than standard fuels since they have a higher water retaining capacity. This then causes problems such as water accumulation and microbial growth, which can lead to accelerated corrosion, blockages, slow flow and contaminated fuel unfit for sale. While these issues used to appear over a matter of years, they can appear in reformulated fuel systems in a matter of months.

Our experience shows that significant numbers of sites that pass a post-bury gauge test actually have a hidden installation issue.

Leighton O’Brien’s pre-bury post-bury test is the world’s most accurate tank test.

Our pre-bury post-bury test is US EPA-certified to detect ullage leaks equivalent to 0.025 gallons per hour (gph), making it 400 per cent more accurate than the current USA required fuel leak detection.

During installation testing Leighton O’Brien technicians conduct precision tank and line integrity testing before concrete is poured. Any nuisance weeps and ingress sources are identified, repaired and eliminated before the site opens.

Our 2-stage pre-bury post-bury testing process guarantees a perfectly tight UST, meaning zero water ingress, zero leakage, zero vapour loss from tank and line system breaches of any kind, and eliminates vapour emissions.

An international oil company conducted a mechanical gauge pressure test prior to backfill on a large network of recently installed retail fuel sites.

Changing regulations in the region and concerns over environmental impact guided the customer to Leighton O’Brien to confirm the integrity of their product lines with a precision line test.

The test subsequently revealed that one quarter of the 440 sites had leaks – all of which had passed a post-bury gauge test at installation.

Almost 10% of their new product lines required excavation, repair and recommissioning, costing tens of thousands of dollars.

The problem could have been detected and repaired at a tiny fraction of this cost with a Leighton O’Brien pre-bury post-bury test during installation.