Containment Sumps and Spill Buckets
What this domain covers
Sumps and spill buckets are the small containers that catch what drips and drains. The exam tests whether you can tell a liquid-tight container from a wet one, and whether you know the testing clock.
Core rules and concepts
- Sumps appear at the tank top (containing fill, vent, gauge, and pump fittings), at piping transitions, and under dispensers. They must be liquid-tight, structurally sound, and kept free of liquid and debris.
- Containment sumps used for interstitial monitoring of piping must be tested for integrity at least every three years under 40 CFR 280.35; PEI RP1200 describes accepted test methods. Double-wall sumps with interstitial monitoring may follow the 30-day monitoring alternative.
- Spill buckets sit at the fill connection and are sized to hold the volume that drains from the delivery hose, commonly about 5 gallons. They either drain back to the tank through a fitting or must be emptied by hand after delivery.
- Water is the enemy: it hides a leak, corrodes fittings, and can freeze and crack boots. Never use a sump as a floor drain or a disposal point.
Worked example
A spill bucket is filled with water to a marked level for its integrity test. After the RP1200 or manufacturer-specified observation period the level has dropped noticeably and water is seeping at the fill-pipe boot. Result: the bucket fails. The correct response is to repair or replace the boot or bucket and retest - not to pump the water out and record a pass.
Traps that cost marks
- Pumping a wet sump dry and calling it repaired.
- Letting the three-year test date slide because no one tracks it.
- Testing a bucket packed with debris that masks a seam leak.
- Discharging sump water to a storm drain without treatment.