Site Integrity Services Tank Testing

10/11/2026

https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-news/aussie-fuel-rip-off-service-station-chain-allegedly-sold-91-octane-petrol-as-premium-98?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social-organic&utm_campaign=aussie-fuel-rip-off-service-station-chain-allegedly-sold-91-octane-petrol-as-premium-98&utm_content=news&fbclid=IwY2xjawVgiYpleHRuA2FlbQIxMABwZG9mBWJyaWQRMUNHVExDbTNVZ2ZFMHdyWWVzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEfgRl6Vyu3M9dfX88UQQqHzqZ_XejlCS9tCdFUF82O6rnC5wLd0oNmjlerhdg_aem_f5NfsbCH_1pp2kHVydeMFQ

Court action has started after a service station franchise in Western Australia allegedly sold 91-octane petrol as more expensive 98RON premium fuel.

02/11/2026

After 38 years , Mary has retired from Marina fuels Runaway bay Marina , The site is currently closed , fuel will be available in a week or two hopefully, it will be card acceptable only, no one to help you dock and refuel, Tasman marinas is taking control I believe, please ring them before relying on refuelling, Site Integrity Services has done many works there over the last 30 years, remanufacturing the cantilever refuelling booms, hose replacements, repipe the under wharf pipework, repipe the underground pipe work, fit under pump sumps , fit new pumps, testing of underground tanks, pretty much rebuilding the site as the years went by. We wish Mary well in her retirement, she has extensive travel plans overseas and in her camper bus.

16/09/2026

Major brisbane shopping centre, wanted urgent tests, to complete their sale , bank needed proof the tanks were fine before lending the money, last tests at this site I believe was 1998, so apparently Im holding up the sale. The business manager flew up from Sydney and actually said, " how much extra can I pay to get a passed result today. I replied its got nothing to do with money, it just cant be done.

15/09/2026

For 40 years I have successfully not started any fires while at work, Today I got to use my fire training, I was checking a pump hose at a site, and this unrelated jet ski filled up and just started burning from an electrical fault, its still a little nerve racking, but the initial flame meant it was not likely to explode. Took about 15 minutes for it to not produce more smoke, as it must have still been shorting out, Poor guy was just going to tipplers for a b**r on a sunny afternoon.

24/03/2026

Author
Site Integrity Services Tank Testing
roy and I worked together from brisbane to cairns( and cape flattery) and mostly shared a room not just to save a dollars, but we got along together, had a b**r and a laugh. Not to dis him but at cape flattery he had severely chapped lips and had the shop add a jar of Vaseline it to our account ( all purchases were through the cairns administration) And we were sharing a room due to lack of contractor accom. Not certain what admin thought???? , we were put into the mine owners accom with some other contractors, so the first thing I did was open the fridge , saw two b**rs so grabbed them and popped the tops one for me and roy, the other contractors were mortified, thats the CEO of Mitsubishi and those are his b**rs, I said whats the chances of him turning up this week ( apparently it was 100% ) so we had a meal with the head of mitsubishi and were climbing the stairs back to the accom, and I said wait a sec and had to push a python off the stairs so we could walk up, and I cant remember his name but he was so thankful I saved him from " certain death" , he never mentioned the b**rs, this was cape flattery and in the morning we saw sharks eating fish in the shallows outside the unit, and we were told to be carefull as a crock used to like wandering through the street at night. Memories forever.

24/03/2026

Im fitting a "reconditioned" pump unit in a Gilbarco pump, the vent fitting has rust and corrosion, the inlet has corrosion, and the installed test fluid is full of rust and crap, I cant open the pump to see the rest as it is safety wired with their lead stamp and it would void warranty, I think the reconditioning was on the out side only, they may have fitted a shaft seal, and they charged hundreds

19/02/2026

Ive been asked to test a very old site in a rural town so I added this to the quote, and they still came back with " when can you be there" . -----------The tank test is an acoustic test ,an ultrasonic sonde is installed in the tank, fittings are capped off, the tank is pressurized or vacuumed +/- 2psi max, and a computer determines the sound signature of a leak.

These tanks are under the foot path on council land.
The 25mm vent indicates the age of the tanks-- 25mm vent 60s-70s, 40mm vent 70s-80s, 50mm vent from 80s to current, this is based on the filling pipe size, the vent is half the filling size,
As delivery trucks got bigger so did vent sizes, most service stations now have 100mm fill and 50mm vents

As the tanks are likely installed in the 70s ( over 50 years), the construction practices were to make the tanks with a permanent drop tube down the dip and fill, (with no compensation hole) this means test equipment cannot access the ullage space of the tank and therefore the test is inconclusive.
When this happens the next stage (stage 2 testing ) is to remove the concrete above the tanks and locate a fitting that can be used for testing.( small tanks do not always have a spare fitting.)
This is when I usually find corrosion pitting and\ or holes in the top of the tank. And the tanks then need to be removed as per worksafe requirements,

Product lines are pressure tested from the pumps back to tank valves, older tanks only have a brass valve, this allows test pressure to get past and reenter the tank and the line is determined as failed, this can happen even if the line is not leaking.
Older suction lines such as these which will be 40mm have a very high percentage fail rate, underground steel fuel lines generally last 20-30 years,

This was the exact scenario that happened at the ###x service Station in 2017, and the tanks at this store in the same town are surprisingly similar and roughly the same age, (note the servo tanks failed tests 9 years ago, they already had holes) and probably installed by the same old grey fitter.

I have have come across this situation many times.
I have known other test companies to not fully explain the process, and just test, charge and fail, then dig up, retest, charge and fail.
You cannot test down the vent, this is not how any of the test systems work, it is not a pressure test, and a test like that will be inconclusive ( even if they say it passed)

If the site wishes to continue, please continue the booking a deposit will be required

The site needs to be aware, stage two testing will cost more than stage one testing , and may still result in failed tanks.

07/01/2026

Spot the problem

06/01/2026

I was asked to inspect these tanks as the site had a worksafe audit and received an improvement notice, while not petroleum related , I reported what would happen if someone fell the 2.5 metres into the bund, the new black fence went up immediately. Next on the list is a proper platform with handrail for dipping the tanks, currently drivers have to walk out onto the rounded tank surface (slippery when wet) and a slip would result in a 3.5 metre fall, over 2 meters is one risk that needed addressing, Fall protection is mandatory for ladders and access systems exceeding 3.5 meters. This can include ladder cages, guardrails, vertical lifelines, or mid-way rest platforms. Explosion, fire, static, and contamination are not the only risks on some sites. Note this is a tourist resort with general public access.

21/05/2025

5 new tank broaches for tank level gaugeing, leak detection and water monitoring, owner got another quote for $35000 not including excavation, pipes, risers, fittings or reconcrete, SIS took 1.5 days, owner owes me a few weeks in his unit at Hamilton Island I think.