Compliance with the Law

If you're like most people you didn't know that a few years back the state of Massachusetts passed a law in regard to upgrading your old oil line. Oil companies began to inspect your oil lines and if they found it was not an encapsulated line they would refuse you service. That means no oil delivered to you because of an old or faulty line that did not meet their standards. You'd be left in the cold. If an oil company inspected your line to ensure compliance with the law and found the line not to be encapsulated, it is their right not to deliver you oil. They could deliver you some oil but probably not what you had intended. That would leave you in a jam to get us out to your home to upgrade the line before you ran out of oil. Now 6 years later, the law is being enforced and oil companies are becoming more strict. Now if you have managed to escape or have slipped under the radar, we thought we would put this back out to the consumers who use oil to heat their homes. In order to be in compliance with the Massachusetts law effective September 30th 2011, your oil line needs to be in an encapsulated line for several reasons. 1. You will not be in compliance with the Law 2. Your oil company CAN and WILL refuse to deliver you oil. 3. Your homeowners insurance company is or will be requesting a Certificate of Compliance. We will provide you with a copy for yourself, a copy to your Fire Department and a copy for your homeowners insurance company. 4. You could be denied payment of a claim, if you do not have a rider on your policy and found to be non-compliant. In compliance with the law, we are recommending that any and all oil tanks 18 years or older, or showing any signs of rust or instability, that you replace it. Again, this is to prevent any potential leaks and refusal of delivery. If you have an outside tank we are recommending a Roth Oil tank. They are a little more expensive but their life expectancy is around 40 years versus a steel tank that would only last for around 18. QHH Inc does a tank inspection at each annual maintenance. At that point, we make our recommendation for tank replacements. Our licensed technicians will check for visible wear , signs of rust and rot , soft spots in the tank due to sludge build up and condensation or instability. If your tank shows any visible signs of this, if the age is greater than 18 years old, a new tank replacement is suggested. Again, this is to prevent potential leaks and a refusal of oil delivery. The average life expectancy on a steel tank[black one] is about 18 years so anything older than that, you are at risk for a catastrophic event. In our experience, a client had an oil leak and their insurance did not cover it. Their out of pocket expense cost them 100,000. The upgrade is fairly simple, in most cases it is as simple as replacing the copper line with a new line that looks like a garden hose. A simple replacement could save you hundreds and thousands of dollars in the long run. Questions or concerns? Please call us at 508-763-2777. We would be more than happy to help you. ** You may check the state website in regard to all facts stated above. Visit their site HERE.