What is this? it may be RV related, you never know!

[gandude]

Remember that show where they show you an odd thing and a panel of people try to guess what it is?

My neighbor is putting in a new driveway and this pipe/head/vent/whatchamacallit is in a recessed box with a heavy metal plate covering it. It appears to be a 2-3" pipe with a cap perhaps vent head on it. Our houses are built in the late 40's. Perhaps an old-timer will know this one. It appears to have "buckeye day on o 932" cast into it.

Thanks for looking!

[tvfrfireman]

othertonka wrote:
My guess is an fill cap for an underground oil tank. The words "buckeye" is a company that is probably still in business today.They make gasoline and oil dispensing products such as nozzles and tanks and vents. Next time you put gas in the car, look at the nozzle, it might be a Buckeye. There should be a vent pipe also next to the house going above the roof. Could be a hazardous material job to remove it.

I agree. Back in the late seventies, I delivered heating oil part time. I have unscrewed these caps and filled heating oil tanks with furnace oil.

[jwmII]

I would not show that to a city worker either. That could open a can of worms at city hall that everyone would regret before those idiots finished with it. The best advice, Cover it and move on.

[OH48Lt]

The former Buckeye Oil Equipment in Dayton OH made a lot of different types of tank vents. That's probably one of them. What's underneath the area? Possibility of an old tank there?

No way is it a cadastral survey pin/marker. I've seen hundreds of those and that ain't one of 'em. Too big and no specific point that was measured.

The idea to show it to an older employee at the local utilities dept is a good one if the property owner REALLY wants to know what it is. Heed Winnietrey's advice above..... he may not really want to know. Pave it over and move on.

[winnietrey]

If it is a oil tank. Your neighbor does not want to know that. Because if he does know that it is an oil tank, he will legally have to disclose that, if he goes to sell the property.

Just because a oil tank is decommissioned, it does not mean all that much. An oil tank may have leaked before it was decommissioned. If so a picky buyer may want the soil tested. And if comes back contaminated clean up costs can be huge. Really best that he not know. Pave over it and forget it, is what I would do.

If it is close to the foundation, oil tank vent is a good guess.
Problem is though, could have been a house on the lot before his was built, they just didn't worry about stuff like that much, just left stuff where it was and built new.

[jake2250]

One way to find out,,,,,,,,,,get a lug nut, tie a string to it,,,,,lower down the pipe,,, see if anything is on the nut when you pull it out,, How far from the house is it? That cap definitely looks to be a Home Heating oil fill cap! Had the same type on the oil fill tube when I lived in Philly!!

Oh,, might want to put on a pair of disposable gloves when you lower that nut into the tank,,

[robatthelake]

Well I'm an Old Fart that thinks it is the Filler Cap for an Underground oil Tank! Im going to make a guess that it was filled with Water or a slurry of Water and Dirt to conceal its existence !

Cheaper than digging it up but not the correct method that would be demanded These Days!

I heard a story about one of these being buried in My Community a few Years ago when a School Building was beIng demolished and the Land redeveloped for Housing and a small shopping Center

You could be in for a serious discussion from Your local building inspector?

[JaxDad]

rk911 wrote:

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Property marker survey pin from survey crew.

absolutely correct.

A survey marker in in a city sidewalk is 3" in diameter, and ALWAYS labelled as such, anything planted outside of a sidewalk is either 5/8" or 1" square iron bar.

[Campforever]

access to a fuel oil tank. Dealt with many as a youth.

[othertonka]

My guess is an fill cap for an underground oil tank. The words "buckeye" is a company that is probably still in business today.They make gasoline and oil dispensing products such as nozzles and tanks and vents. Next time you put gas in the car, look at the nozzle, it might be a Buckeye. There should be a vent pipe also next to the house going above the roof. Could be a hazardous material job to remove it.

[rk911]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Property marker survey pin from survey crew.

absolutely correct.

[SaltiDawg]

Underground oil tank vent?

Do you know if the neighborhood used oil?

[gandude]

We don't think it's water.

back in the day, the area had city water but no sewers or gas. We did (and still do) have canal water supplied by the Bureau of Reclamation that can be used for irrigation. I guess the object could be used for that.

The top is fixed. It does not rotate or pull. I feel an opening under the top, on the pipe like it would be for venting.

[Dutch_12078]

It looks similar to natural gas service valves I've seen in some areas. Could also be a city water valve.

[riven1950]

Don't know but...maybe take the pic to your town utility dept and see if an old timer there knows. Bet they have seen one before.