"J.A. Michel" wrote in message
I appreciate what you're saying, Ed. I don't really see any difference
weather the thing is in use or not, it's there.
The thing would be just as prone to cave in if it were in use right? Does
the fact that it's not in use
make it not safer than inuse? So what's the difference?

Pressure. If the tank is empty, the outside pressure on the walls is
greater than if the tank is filled. Greater pressure, greater chance of
cracking and collapsing. Depending on soil conditions, the empty tank can
even try to float if the ground was very wet after a long series of rainy
days.

Then there is methane. Empty tansk with some rotting stuff on the bottom
are prone to it. If you fell into a large tanks of crappy water, you may be
dusgustingly filthy but can get to the top and get out. If the empty tank
is filled with some quanity of methane, you can pass out, eventually die,
before you could get help. People have died going into abandoned tanks and
wells trying to help someone that has already passed out. About 10 years
ago, three brothers did exactly then. First one dropped, then the other
two went in to help and never came up.


Like I said, it's not a problem for me. I'm not
getting out the backhoe to go digging for problems. Yes, I will leave it
for the next owner, as it was left by a previous
owner for me. I will inform the next owner about it, not hiding nothing.
The previous owners did not bother to tell me about it......

For the sake of you and your family, I hope it never is a problem. There is
sound reasoning behind the regulations to fill them in.