Leak Detection For Underground Piping Will you be in compliance? When installed and operated according to the manufacturer's specifications, the leak detection methods discussed here meet the federal regulatory requirements for the life of underground piping systems. Your UST may have suction or pressurized piping, which are discussed below. What are the regulatory requirements for suction piping? No leak detection is required if the suction piping has (1) enough slope so that the product in the pipe can drain back into the tank when suction is released and (2) has only one check valve, which is as close as possible beneath the pump in the dispensing unit. If a suction line is to be considered exempt based on these design elements, there must be some way to check that the line was actually installed according to these plans. If a suction line does not meet all of the design criteria noted above, one of the following leak detection methods must be used: A line tightness test at least every 3 years; or Monthly interstitial monitoring; or Monthly vapor monitoring (including tracer compound analysis); or Monthly groundwater monitoring; or Monthly statistical inventory reconciliation; or Other monthly monitoring that meets performance standards. The line tightness test must be able to detect a leak at least as small as 0.1 gallon per hour at 1.5 times normal operating pressure with certain probabilities of detection and of false alarm. Interstitial monitoring, vapor monitoring (including tracer compound analysis), groundwater monitoring, and statistical inventory reconciliation have the same regulatory requirements for piping as they do for tanks. See the earlier sections of this booklet on those methods.
Videos About UST Requirements There are several helpful videos you can order as explained below. Contacts can provide information about availability and cost. Video Title Contact Tank Closure Without Tears: An Inspector's Safety Guide Focuses on explosive vapors and safe tank removal (30 minutes). What Do We Have Here?: An Inspector's Guide To Site Assessment At Tank Closure Inspecting sites for contamination where tanks have been removed. Part 1: Site Assessment Overview (30 minutes); Part 2: Field Testing Instruments At A Glance (14 minutes); Part 3: Soil And Water Sampling At A Glance (7 minutes). Searching For The Honest Tank: A Guide To UST Facility Compliance Inspection Covers major aspects of UST inspections, including protocols, equipment, cathodic protection, and leak detection. Directed at inspectors, yet also helpful to owners and operators (30 minutes). Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission Attn: Videos (978) 323-7929 Doing It Right Illustrates proper installation of underground tanks and piping for installation crews. Part 1: Tanks (24 minutes); Part 2: Piping (16 minutes). Doing It Right II: Installing Required UST Equipment Illustrates installation of spill and overfill equipment, observation wells, and piping leak detection (23 minutes). Keeping It Clean: Making Safe And Spill-Free Motor Fuel Deliveries Making pollution-free deliveries to USTs. Includes Stage 1 vapor recovery, overfill prevention and spill containment. For fuel tanker drivers and UST owner/operators (25 minutes). Petroleum Leaks Underground How liquids and vapors move in the subsurface and why early response to leaked petroleum is so important. Part 1: How Liquids Move (14 minutes); Part 2: How Vapors Move (15 minutes). Straight Talk on Leak Detection Overview of the leak detection methods available for complying with federal regulations (30 minutes).