Sunday 31 July 2011

Oil's not well

After the stories in the paper about oil tanks leaking, and an issue with our furnace, we've cashed in the family fortune and installed a new furnace. One cup of fuel oil can contaminate the amount of water in an Olympic-sized swim pool. My daughter, a hydrogeologist,  has supervised a couple of excavations due to contaminants. It is not pretty. It can affect the air, water and the land. It is a fire hazard, as well.

We read some sad stories:

It all started so simply ...

Ottawa Citizen - Hugh Adami - 22 Jun 2011
Michel Proulx and Carmen Lortie Proulx say their home is worthless and can't be sold following an oil leak


Oil
 storage tank leak a cautionary tale - thestar.com

13 Sep 2008 – A scary tale of an oil leak in an Ottawa-area home provides a valuable lesson for homeowners whose homes are heated by oil.

Our house, 25 years old, needs some help. I believe that the original house had a wood stove, just like my parent's retirement home. In my late parent's house we installed a new furnace the weekend my Mom died, Mother's Day, 2006. Next, the water heater konked out. We put in a Tankless water heater. While we were living there the propane tanks needed replacing. That was a fun day.
Cast of thousands!













2 comments:

Olga said...

Oh, no. Something else to worry about. We have an in-ground fuel tank.

Kay said...

I didn't know that about that cup of oil. It makes it even more scary and awful to think about all those millions of gallons of oil that have been leaking...and might still be leaking.