On my lawn (near my driveway, close to the street curb), there is a
square patch of concrete. I never gave it much of a thought, I just
mowed around it.

However, a few days ago I noticed a small (maybe 3/4" diameter) metal
pipe sticking a couple inches up out of the lawn. It is right next to
this square of concrete. I never noticed this pipe before. If this
was a fill pipe to an oil tank, am I right in assuming it would be much
bigger? The pipe is not capped - it just looks like a standard round
metal pipe, similar to the 3/4" water pipes inside my home. (I do have
an underground sprinkler system but it uses plastic pipe so I don't
think it has anything to do with that.)

Could this pipe (and concrete) have something to do with an underground
oil tank? The house in in central NJ, built around 1960, currently
uses gas heat. But I'm sure it used oil at one time in the past. Now
I'm worried I may have inherited an underground tank. The fact this
pipe that was once hidden is now visible concerns me. Is there
anything else that this pipe could be, aside from an underground tank?
Maybe something to do with the natural gas or water lines?

Can anyone reccommend what steps I should take to determine what this
pipe is? Who I should call and what might need to be done?
I am unfortunately completely clueless about this stuff!

Thanks very much, any advice is greatly appreciated!

wrote:

On my lawn (near my driveway, close to the street curb), there is a
square patch of concrete. I never gave it much of a thought, I just
mowed around it.

However, a few days ago I noticed a small (maybe 3/4" diameter) metal
pipe sticking a couple inches up out of the lawn. It is right next to
this square of concrete. I never noticed this pipe before. If this
was a fill pipe to an oil tank, am I right in assuming it would be much
bigger? The pipe is not capped - it just looks like a standard round
metal pipe, similar to the 3/4" water pipes inside my home. (I do have
an underground sprinkler system but it uses plastic pipe so I don't
think it has anything to do with that.)

Could this pipe (and concrete) have something to do with an underground
oil tank? The house in in central NJ, built around 1960, currently
uses gas heat. But I'm sure it used oil at one time in the past. Now
I'm worried I may have inherited an underground tank. The fact this
pipe that was once hidden is now visible concerns me. Is there
anything else that this pipe could be, aside from an underground tank?
Maybe something to do with the natural gas or water lines?

Can anyone reccommend what steps I should take to determine what this
pipe is? Who I should call and what might need to be done?
I am unfortunately completely clueless about this stuff!

Thanks very much, any advice is greatly appreciated!


Doesn't sound like anything connected with an oil tank,
especially out near the curb.

You might call the water and gas utilities and ask
if it might be theirs.

Jim

On 15 Mar 2005 08:57:04 -0800, someone wrote:

However, a few days ago I noticed a small (maybe 3/4" diameter) metal
pipe sticking a couple inches up out of the lawn.

Are you sure isn't a boundary "pin"? (I think you said it was near
the road?)


Reply to NG only - this e.mail address goes to a kill file.

wrote in message
ups.com...
On my lawn (near my driveway, close to the street curb), there is a
square patch of concrete. I never gave it much of a thought, I just
mowed around it.

However, a few days ago I noticed a small (maybe 3/4" diameter) metal
pipe sticking a couple inches up out of the lawn. It is right next to
this square of concrete. I never noticed this pipe before. If this
was a fill pipe to an oil tank, am I right in assuming it would be much
bigger? The pipe is not capped - it just looks like a standard round
metal pipe, similar to the 3/4" water pipes inside my home. (I do have
an underground sprinkler system but it uses plastic pipe so I don't
think it has anything to do with that.)

Could this pipe (and concrete) have something to do with an underground
oil tank? The house in in central NJ, built around 1960, currently
uses gas heat. But I'm sure it used oil at one time in the past. Now
I'm worried I may have inherited an underground tank. The fact this
pipe that was once hidden is now visible concerns me. Is there
anything else that this pipe could be, aside from an underground tank?
Maybe something to do with the natural gas or water lines?

Can anyone reccommend what steps I should take to determine what this
pipe is? Who I should call and what might need to be done?
I am unfortunately completely clueless about this stuff!

Abandoned feed line for an old gas yard light? Very popular in the 60s. The
square of concrete- are there maybe traces of old sawed-off anchor bolts in
the top of the concrete? See if there is a matching stub on the gas line in
your basement, heading off in that direction, and a cut-off pipe or patched
hole below grade level in basement wall. If gas meter is on same side of
house, it could have tee'd off before line entered basement, and there may
be a capped stub there, and possibly another mystery pipe hiding in the dirt
near the meter. Or it could be an abandoned conduit for an electric yard
light, I guess- buried cables were usually enclosed back then.

In any case, I wouldn't lose a lot of sleep over it. Try shoving a long
stiff wire down the hole, to get some idea how long the pipe is. If you are
really curious, borrow or rent a metal detector (less than 20 bucks for a
half-day), and trace it back. Heavy-wall pipe like that will give a strong
return. Very unlikely to be an oil tank- those are almost always within 10
feet or so of the house, leastways the ones I have seen.

aem sends...