Summer is just around the corner! This means it’s the perfect time to discuss heating oil during the summer. While it’s probably the last thing that comes to your mind during the summer, it’s still something that should be on your radar. This is because some houses will tend to use heating for more than just heat. Hot water is commonly used alongside heat or by itself. In this article, I’ll be covering how much oil you should expect to be burning during the summertime.
Only Burning Hot Water
The four main sources of heat in the United States are natural gas, propane, electricity, and heating oil. This can also be said for hot water. One thing that all of these forms of heat have in common is that they can all heat water in some shape or form. However, just because your home uses one fuel in particular doesn’t mean that it uses the same fuel to heat water. Some homes will often tend to use heating oil for their furnace (heat) and a propane system for hot water. But, it’s typically more common for most homes to use one fuel source for both heat and hot water.
If your home relies on heating oil for just hot water production, then usually don’t have pay too close attention to your heating oil level come mid-May. But sometimes, if it gets cold at night, feel free to turn your heat on!
Once late September comes around, you can usually start turning your heating oil systems back online. This means that come the cool fall weather, you’ll have to start paying attention to your oil level to make sure that you don’t run out. But otherwise, during the summer you’ll be using minimal heating oil.
This graph shows what it’s like to use hot water only over the course of a year. As shown above, you can see that throughout the summer there was little to no usage of heating out!
Using Heating Oil for Heat and Hot Water
If your home has a water heater or oil-fired furnace, you should monitor your heating oil usage year-round. For this, I highly recommend picking up a Smart Oil Gauge. This will give you an extra layer of protection from running out. With the gauge configured for your tank, size, it will be able to accurately pick up usage data and tell you how much oil is in your tank. You’ll even bet an alert notifying you when your tank is running low! If you are interested in more information on the Smart Oil Gauge, check out this article here, where we cover everything you need to know!
Oil-fired hot water heaters such as the one shown above, will typically use about a half a gallon and one gallons worth of heating oil on a daily basis. Longer and more frequent showers will definitely impact this average.
Now, in the instance that you have one heating system for both hot water and heat, you’ll use significantly more oil than someone who is using their system just for hot water. But during the summer, you’ll be using a lot less oil than you’re accustomed to. The average home can use anywhere from half a gallon to a full gallon of heating oil on hot water alone! But, if you take consistent hot showers and/or have multiple people living in your home, you’ll probably end up using more oil than that on the daily.
Based on the above data, you can see that this tank is using far more oil than the previous graph. That’s because this system uses heating oil for both heat and hot water. During the winter, they might be averaging 4-6 gallons of oil a day!
When Should You Order Heating Oil?
Regardless of what time of year it is, we recommend ordering oil once your tank reaches 1/4 full. This will typically ensure that you have plenty of time before your next delivery arrives and before you run out. You can compare local prices using our FuelSnap website.
You also shouldn’t let your tank get too low. If this happens, your feed lines could suck up sludge which can clog and damage your feed lines and oil system. When your tank is low on oil, be sure to reach out to your local dealer or order from FuelSnap to ensure that you don’t run out of oil. Make sure that you order from reputable dealers and other local suppliers in your area to make sure that you have oil all year round!
You right remember learning about John D. Rockefeller and his empire of oil in school. One of his major selling points for oil back in the day was kerosene. It’s derived from crude oil and gained a lot of popularity as light fixture fuel and became available across the country.
In the present day, it’s mainly used for jet fuel and home heating. In this guide, I’ll be breaking down what you need to know about kerosene heating in the modern world. I’ll be covering the basics and anything important that you should know! Let’s get started!
Kerosene: What is it?
Kerosene is a type of low-viscosity heating oil. It’s a clear flammable liquid that is based on petroleum. Its flashpoint is usually anywhere between 100-150 degrees Fahrenheit. It will also freeze (meaning turns into a gel) once the temperature reaches around -40 degrees Fahrenheit. Unlike heating oil which tends to gel at around 16 degrees Fahrenheit, kerosene can be stored in much colder environments.
This is an example of the type of lamps that kerosene powers. While they are not as common anymore, they were very popular in the 1800s
What Use Does Kerosene Have?
Originally used in the 1800s, it’s a fuel source that powers lighting fixtures. It was incredibly popular, but it eventually dropped in price as a result of the rise of heating oil. Electric heating also played a role in kerosene’s downfall from the top as electric heating became more common in the US. The inclusion of electric lamps, which don’t need to refuel oil made kerosene deliveries almost non-existent.
At present, kerosene is mostly used as a fuel source for home heating systems. It’s also a very important ingredient in jet fuel that helps aircraft fly. It can also be added to heating oil as an additive that allows you to mix it into your heating oil.
How’s Kerosene Different from other Forms of Heating Oil?
While kerosene is very similar to heating oil, you can’t change between the two. There are quite a few important differences between the two. I cover them a bit more in-depth in this post. One of the biggest differences is that kerosene has a lower flash point than heating oil. The flash point for kerosene usually starts at around 100 degrees Fahrenheit which makes it more hazardous than heating oil. Heating oil must first be atomized and then heated up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit for it to ignite.
However, one of the benefits of kerosene is that it has a lower freeze point than heating oil. It will usually begin to gel up around -40 degrees Fahrenheit! Unlike heating oil that will start to gel up at 16 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes it much more suitable for colder environments. In places where temperatures will usually be significantly below freezing, kerosene is a must-use.
It’s important that when storing Kerosene, you must use only blue containers. This safety precaution will help distinguish between gasoline (usually stored in red cans) and diesel fuel (stored in yellow cans). Diesel can be used when in a pinch if you need to get some oil in your tank after it runs empty.
Can You Add Kerosene into your Heating Oil Tank?
There is a very thin line for what you can and can’t do with kerosene heating. While it’s similar enough to be mixed in and burned with heating oil, it’s not similar enough to replace heating oil completely. It’s typically ok to add kerosene into a heating oil tank that’s full. But it’s NOT ok to fill an empty heating oil tank with kerosene for a long period. Your heating oil equipment can become damaged permanently if it burns kerosene in the long term.
However, some technicians recommend adding small amounts of kerosene to your tank as a periodic cleanser. Think of it like a pallet cleanser when you go to a fancy restaurant. But, you can also use other types of additives to do this as well.
But in the instance that you run out of heating oil, DO NOT put kerosene in your tank. In this instance, run to the gas station and grab 5-10 gallons of diesel fuel. This will hold you over until your next delivery of heating oil comes. We go over this in more depth in this article here.
Can You Switch from Heating Oil to Kerosene?
If you wish to make the switch to kerosene from heating oil, then you will need to have a complete system overhaul. This will include swapping out all of your system parts that are for heating oil, to kerosene-specific parts. If you live in extremely cold climates like Alaska, then this is highly recommended. It’s also far more suitable for colder weather environments due to its low flash point.
The biggest thing to be aware of, however, is that kerosene is not as readily available as heating oil. That is why making the switch from heating oil is so uncommon, especially in the Northeast. It is very hard to come by and even if it’s cheaper per gallon than heating oil, it’s much harder to find. It is better as an additive that you can put into your tank to prevent it from gelling in the colder months of the year.
Heating Oil Gauges have improved vastly over the past few years. With the inclusion of the Smart Oil Gauge, getting an accurate reading is easier than ever! Your heating oil tank is now at the tip of your finger! However, that begs the question. What about your float gauge? While the float gauge will still see a lot of use today, can it contend with the accuracy of the Smart Oil Gauge? I’ll be covering that in this article!
The Float Gauge
The Float Gauge is easily one of the most popular ways to keep track of your tank’s oil level. It operates off of a metal arm with a cork bobber at the end of it. The bobber on the arm connects to a plastic cylinder with a little plastic disk. The plastic cylinder and the interior disk work in conjunction with each other. The plastic cylinder is marked to determine what the oil level is with the help of the bobber. Depending on what your oil level will affect what the gauge will be reading and where the bobber will be.
As you’ll see in this picture, the float gauge is positioned in the more open end of the tank so that the bobber can float freely.
One important thing for using a float gauge is to know your tank size. That will help understand roughly how many gallons you have in your oil tank. Considering most tanks are either 275-gallon or 330-gallon tanks, you’ll likely have to work with one of those. But on the off chance that you don’t have a tank of that size be sure that you know what size tank you have so that you can understand your reading accordingly.
The Smart Oil Gauge
The Smart Oil Gauge is a wireless tank sensor that connects to your WIFI to be able to transmit data to our servers. Once you successfully set up the gauge, simply plug in your tank information and install it onto the tank! The gauge will be able to read for your tank size in particular. If you don’t see your tank listed in the available tank sizes, feel free to reach out to us and we’ll provide you with a custom tank size!
It’s important that with the Smart Oil Gauge, you have it connected to a stable internet connection. If the gauge has a strong signal that it can continue to connect to, then the Smart Oil Gauge will be able to upload to our servers regularly without issues.
The Smart Oil Gauge should look like this installed onto your tank. Be sure to install it using a pipe wrench and not channel locks! Once the gauge is installed onto the tank, it should be able to read down below into the tank if the sensor is pointed directly downward!
The Smart Oil Gauge comes in several different models. The two most prevalent models are the standard Smart Oil Gauge and the Smart Oil Gauge Duo. The standard gauge has an operating distance of 8″-72″ because of the 8″ blind spot. But the Duo doesn’t have that 8″ blind spot because of its dual-sensor functionality. Due to that, the Duo has an operating range of 0″-72″. We discuss the differences between the Duo and Standard gauges in-depth in this article here if you’d like to learn more!
Comparing the Two Gauges
When comparing the float gauge and the Smart Oil Gauge, it’s important to know what they can and cannot do. You can have both gauges installed onto the tank at the same time to get the best of both worlds. However, if you want to only use one of them, then it’s important to know their differences.
For using the Smart Oil Gauge, it’s important to know what size tank you have. This is because the gauge needs to know what tank size it’s reading for so that it can function correctly. If you have a 275-gallon horizontal tank, it’s important to configure the gauge for that tank size so it reads accurately. With the float gauge, however, it won’t be able to tell what tank it’s being installed to. So it’s up to you to figure out how many gallons of oil are in your tank based on what the float is reading. The float also cannot accommodate the curvature of a tank. Meaning that once you reach a certain point, the gauge might be reading less oil faster.
With the float gauge, as time goes on, oil and sludge will coat the bobber. This can cause the float gauge to become less accurate as time goes on. The bobber will then become bogged down with the oil and sludge causing the gauge itself to read less oil, or even be stuck on the bottom of the tank. The bobbers are sometimes hard to clean, but you can always replace them. However with the Smart Oil Gauge, because it has no arm and bobber, the gauge will very rarely have oil on the sensor.
This is what the Smart Oil Gauge and a Float Gauge will look like side by side. They have vastly different designs, but can often be used in conjunction with each other.
Sometimes when you receive a delivery of oil, it can splash up around the sensor. Although that is rare, you can clean it off easily. Instead, the gauge uses an ultrasonic sensor that doesn’t require it to have a float gauge-style arm. The gauge will simply send a signal down to the oil level, that will then bounce back up to the sensor.
Finally, the Smart Oil Gauge is something that you can access anywhere from your phone. As long as the gauge has a stable WIFI connection, it can connect and upload to our servers. You’ll then be able to check your phone to get your tank’s reading from anywhere! However, with the float gauge, you’ll need to go down to the tank location to view the oil level in the tank.
Which Gauge Should You Use?
Whichever gauge you decide to use is completely up to you. You are more than welcome to use both! Most of our clients use both the Smart Oil Gauge alongside their float gauge! This gives them the best of both worlds!
But, in terms of accuracy, the Smart Oil Gauge is the more accurate gauge. It accounts for your tank’s curvature and uses an ultrasonic sensor to send a signal down to the oil level where it’s able to give you a more accurate reading based on your tank size!
Over time, the Smart Oil Gauge will even be able to maintain its accuracy! It won’t get bogged down and covered in sludge and oil, and will continue to read accurately due to no additional parts that go into the tank!
Setting up your Smart Oil Gauge is very important for its functionality. Without making sure that the gauge properly connects to the internet, it won’t communicate with our servers or the app. For your gauge to be able to work properly, you’ll need to make sure that the gauge is set. In this blog post, I’ll cover all the ways you can make sure that your gauge is set up properly!
The Smart Configuration Method
The first method that you’ll likely try is the “Smart Config” method. You can find this method by going onto the Smart Oil Gauge App and clicking on “connect sensor”. Upon clicking on this option, you’ll see that this method is asking for your WIFI network password. This is the WIFI password for the network that your phone is currently connected to. It’s important to note that when doing this method, whichever network that your phone is connected to is the network the gauge will try to connect to. So be sure that your phone is on the network that you want to connect the gauge to.
Once you’ve clicked on “connect sensor”, be sure to type in your WIFI network password and select continue. On this next screen, you’ll see a little animation that looks kind of like Mickey Mouse’s hand. This is demonstrating how to press the button on the gauge. The tall-thin black button that we’re referring to is located on the top right of the top board. Press the button twice and the gauge should start blinking twice a second, then press the continue button.
This is what the Smart Config method looks like from the quick start guide. It gives a brief explanation of how to get the gauge connected and shows the steps required.
The app will then go to another screen where it will say “Beginning configuration process, please wait”. Simply wait for the gauge to connect to your WIFI and when the process is done, it should say “Config Process Complete”. It will then take you to another screen where you’ll be able to fill out all the information that you need on your tank! This will include tank size, upload interval, and the tank’s name.
If the app says “Configuration Failed” then try seeing if you can verify the WIFI network password to make sure that you’re using the correct password. If you are, try rebooting the router and trying again. The process should be able to be successful after rebooting the router. If it still fails, try the below processes and see if they work!
The Alternate Configuration Process
This process is a little bit different from the Smart Config process. Unlike the smart config process that takes you through the Smart Oil Gauge app, this process will take you through your WIFI settings on your phone. With the Smart Config process, the process is identical for IOS and Android devices. However, the alternate process is slightly different depending on what type of device you use. I will be covering those differences here.
The first thing that you’ll need to do is go to your phone’s WIFI settings. Once you’ve made it to the WIFI settings, make sure that the gauge is turned on. Then, press and hold on to the tall-thin black button once for two seconds. Try counting one-one thousand, two-one thousand before letting go. I’ve often found that this will help you get exactly the amount of button presses that you’ll need.
This is the guide to the alternate setup process. This can be found on either the troubleshooting guide or the quick start guide depending on your model of Smart Oil Gauge.
Once you’ve done that, the gauge should start flashing once per second and you will see a network pop-up in your WIFI settings that says “CCF######”. The numbers will depend on your gauge’s serial number but the network popping up is the same. This is where you will need to connect to the network on your phone. The password when attempting to connect is smartoil.
Now, after typing in the password, the process might be different depending on your device. If you are on an IOS device, the gauge should take you right to the login screen. However, if you have an Android device, it will say “connected without internet”. In that instance, you will need to go to your web browser and type in the IP address. In the search bar, type in 192.168.4.1, and your phone will open up to the login screen.
Once on the login screen, you should see your WIFI network in a list of other networks in purple. Make sure that you select your WIFI network so that it can autofill the SSID box. Then, be sure to type in your WIFI network password and email address so that the gauge can send you a registration email. Then, hit the save button and check your email for the registration email!
The WPS Method
The final method that you can try is the WPS method. Now, this method is usually a last resort because it’ll only work if your WIFI router has a WPS button. If your router doesn’t have a WPS button, then you will likely not be able to do this process. The WPS button usually looks like either a globe, lock, or two arrows chasing each other but it might even just say WPS on the button.
The WPS button can often be found on either the front or back of your router like in the above photo.
The first thing that you have to do is press the WPS button on your router and the router should start flashing. Once you’ve done that, press and hold on the gauge’s configure button once for three seconds (one-one thousand, two-one thousand, three-one thousand) and let go. The gauge should then start flashing three times a second before connecting to your router.
After successfully going through the WPS configuration process, simply go on your Smart Oil Gauge app and refresh the page and you should see the gauge listed there on the app!
Gauge Bandwidth Compatibility
While most devices nowadays are compatible with 5ghz WIFI connections, the Smart Oil Gauge is not. Now, you might be wondering why we had gone with 2.4ghz rather than 5ghz. Well, the answer is very simple. While 5ghz is certainly faster than 2.4ghz, it doesn’t reach as far. That’s why 5ghz mostly finds use in streaming and gaming because those high-performance tasks require a faster speed to function properly.
Now with 2.4ghz bandwidths, they tend to reach farther than 5ghz. Most of the time, your oil tank is not going to be right under the router. It’ll usually be farther away in the basement or outdoors. For that reason, we chose 2.4ghz to provide the gauge with a strong signal that reaches farther than 5ghz networks.
This is a perfect example of how 2.4ghz and 5ghz work on your network. In the above photo, you can see that streaming and gaming take place within the 5ghz band. While everything else will be in the 2.4ghz band.
If your network shares both 2.4ghz and 5ghz, we recommend you open up a separate 2.4ghz-only network for the Smart Oil Gauge. This will give the gauge a solid connection to connect to and will make sure that the gauge doesn’t disconnect if it switches to 5ghz. If you can’t open up a separate 2.4ghz-only network for the gauge to connect to, then I would recommend getting a WIFI range extender. This will give the gauge another access point to connect to the internet with, as well as being able to split the 2.4ghz and 5ghz bandwidths.
We recommend the following extenders, this TP-Link extender is a 2.4ghz-only extender, meaning that it will only extend a 2.4ghz signal. There is also this NETGEAR extender, which is a dual-band extender. This means that it will be able to extend both 2.4ghz and 5ghz bands separately. I have had some personal experience with the NETGEAR extender and never had any issues with it when I used it!
Conclusion
Making sure that you connect your Smart Oil Gauge to the internet is very important for its functionality. The device will need a stable 2.4 GHz internet connection for it to function on the network properly. We’ve outlined everything that you’ll need to know above! Getting the gauge online will ensure that it’s able to read and upload without issue.
If you’ve gone through all of these methods and have still yet to get the gauge online, then do not panic, our support team is more than willing to help! You can reach us at 203-456-1499 option 3, Monday through Friday from 8 am-5 pm EST. But when you call, just make sure you have your WIFI password, Gauge Serial Number, and account email address all handy to make the process go smoother!
Service contracts are common practice when it comes to working with oil dealers. They’ll usually recommend that you setup automatic delivery with service contract. But, there tends to be a lot of strings attached to these service contracts. In this blog, I’ll be covering several service contract myths and go into detail about them.
Myth #1: Automatic Delivery Only
Most oil companies will often require you to sign up for their automatic delivery to get a service contract with them. They’ll often try to scare you by saying things like “You’ll have to buy our oil because we can’t risk you getting waste oil from another company. Ordering through us is the safest option”. When in actuality, this isn’t true. There are thousands of dealers from reputable companies that you can safely buy from. If you’re unsure, read their reviews first to see how other customers felt after dealing with them. It’s also important to mention that you should NEVER order from online anonymous dealers.
It’s also worth mentioning that there are plenty of companies that will offer service contracts without forcing you to get an automatic delivery plan. DollarWise Oil for, example, offers their annual maintenance plan and doesn’t require you to order from them to get a maintenance plan. They also offer 24/7 support and you don’t have to buy heating oil through them! Their service contract also includes an annual tune-up, system cleaning, and much more! Of course, this is in their best interest because it would be better for them not to come to your home in the middle of the night (and I’m sure you wouldn’t want that either). But if you’re interested, be sure to read the fine print and be expected to pay for some parts and labor in an emergency.
This is what DollarWise will then to offer for their maintenance plans. For more information, you will have to contact DollarWise.
Down on Long Island, there is another heating oil company known as Ryan Anthony’s Heating Service. They’re rated very highly amongst their customers and will also offer service contracts without the need to order heating oil from them. If you get a service contract with Ryan Anthony’s, you’ll probably have to pay a small monthly service fee as the months go by. You’ll also be able to shop around on oil when you’re running low and aren’t required to order through them! You’ll end up saving more money on heating oil compared to automatic delivery in the long run.
Myth #2: Your Oil Company Offers “Free Service Contracts”
There’s a common saying in today’s day and age “If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is”. Nothing in life is free and the same applies to service contracts. Usually when a company promises to give you a “Free Service Contract”, it will come at a cost, even if it’s a small one. When it comes to automatic delivery, heating oil can normally be priced at an additional $0.40 to even as high as a dollar more per gallon! In CT, we’ve seen it get as high as $1.25 per gallon more for automatic delivery! So let’s do a quick little math equation to determine how much that “Free Service Contract” really is.
Your average-size home uses around 800 gallons of heating oil yearly
You’ll usually end up paying an average of $0.60 per gallon more with automatic delivery.
The supposed “free service contract” will cost you 800 X $0.60 = $480!
For spending that much money, you should at least be getting an annual tune-up for your heating oil system.
Keeping up to date with your heating system maintenance will ensure that your system is running in tip-top shape and will be the best optimized heating system for your home.
Myth #3: You Can Only Get 24/7 Support with a Service Contract
One of the best things that you can do for your HVAC system is to get an annual tune-up. When you get a chance, check Google and see which qualified local service companies are in your local area. Do a little bit of research and see which services companies seem reputable and trustworthy. If they seem to have good reviews and seem trustworthy, then reach out and see open a service contract. They might even offer you free support. Reaching out to your local service companies will help you not only establish connections, it will put you on good terms with the local servicemen.
But you might be wondering, isn’t emergency service expensive? Well, it is expensive! But, if you run the numbers, spending $500 for an emergency service call once every couple of years is better than an additional $480 every year. This often makes you better off not having a service plan. However, if your heating system is on the older side and it constantly breaks down throughout the year, then you should consider getting a service contract. But at that point, you might as well upgrade!
Conclusion
The bottom line when it comes to home heating is ensuring that your family stays warm during the winter. You can make sure of this by keeping your home heating system well-maintained. You can do this by utilizing a maintenance and service plan. But, be sure to do some research and only choose from a trusted company.
Additionally, make sure that you don’t fall for the trap of “automatic delivery”. Be sure to find a company that will allow you to shop around if you can’t get a delivery soon. You’ll be able to save hundreds of dollars yearly by choosing a call-by-only delivery option. You can then use that money saved to buy other things you might like! That might even include a Smart Oil Gauge to ensure that you never run out!
With Spring currently in full swing, you might find yourself using less and less oil during this season. With the warmer weather slowly making its way back to the northeast, you might be wondering how much oil would you be using consistently. In this post, I’ll be covering what you should expect for heating oil during the spring months until summer.
How Much Heating Oil Should I be Burning on Average?
During the spring, the average homeowner will only be burning around 2-3 gallons a day. However, this can depend on many different variables. For example, if you’re using heating oil for both hot water and heating, then you’ll use more oil than someone who is using it for only heating. If you’re like me, I use heating oil in my home for both hot water and heat. So my daily usage might be a bit more compared to someone who uses heating oil just for heat.
In the above graph, you’ll notice that the average daily usage changes depending on the size of the house and temperatures. These are some of the most important factors when it comes to how many gallons of oil you’ll use to heat your home.
Additionally, if you have a large home then you will by default burn more oil than someone with a smaller house. The square footage of your home will also determine how much oil you will be burning daily. For example, a home with a 1500 square footage will not be burning as much oil as a home that has a 2500 square footage.
Outside Temperature
The weather and temperature outside both play key and important factors in oil consumption. The temperature outside will determine if you decide to burn oil or not, as well as how much oil you are burning. During a hot summer day, you likely won’t be running your heat and will be using an air conditioner. However, sometimes spring nights can be a little chilly, so running your heat during these times isn’t unheard of. But, you probably won’t be burning a significant amount of oil.
Using Heating Oil For Heat and Hot Water
Most of the time, if your home has an oil-fired water heater, then you should most definitely be monitoring your oil level yearly. This is because even if you are not using heating oil for heat during the spring, you will still certainly be using it for hot water. Because let’s be honest, who doesn’t enjoy a hot shower? With heaters, you’ll be constantly using oil to keep the water in the house hot.
The average oil-fired water heater like the one shown above will usually use between a half a gallon and one gallon of heating oil per day for the average home. Doesn’t seem like a lot at first, but over time you’ll be burning through quite a bit of oil.
If you’re using heating oil for both hot water and heat, I recommend the Smart Oil Gauge. The gauge will help you read your tank’s oil level year round! It can track usage and oil level through our Smart Oil Gauge app! Simply just connect it to the internet and put in your tank information and you’ll be able to start reading the level from wherever you are! If you’re interest in learning more, check out our blog posts on the Smart Oil Gauge and the Smart Oil Gauge Duo.
What’s the Verdict?
How much oil you burn during the first few months of spring will ultimately depend on what you’re using it for and how big your house is. If you’re using your heating oil for hot water and to heat your home when it’s chilly, you might use 3-5 gallons a day. This might seem like a lot, but compared to the winter months where you’ll often burn anywhere from 8-10 gallons daily, 3-5 is nothing.
If you’re using your heat only when it’s a little too cold for a spring day, then you might only see 1-3 gallons a day. The same goes for hot water usage. If you’re only using your heat for hot water during the spring, you’ll only see
It’s important to replace the batteries in your Smart Oil Gauge when they start to get low. Like most wireless devices, the Smart Oil Gauge uses batteries to function. However, unlike your cellphone or portable gaming consoles, the batteries are not a single internal rechargeable battery. They are instead two AA-sized 3.6v lithium batteries. In this post, I’ll cover how to replace them and much more!
When Should You Replace the Batteries?
The battery life on the gauge has four different stages. These are Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor. We typically recommend you replace them when they start reading “Poor”. When they start reading “poor”, this typically means that there are only a couple of weeks or months before they die completely. If you order the batteries when they start reading poor, it gives you enough time for them to ship and arrive in time for you to replace them.
In the above photo, you’ll see that two of my gauges have different battery readings. The top one reads poor, while the second one reading good. I should probably replace the batteries on my top tank!
While you can replace the batteries once the gauge starts reading “Fair”, you’ll still have a good few months before the gauge starts reading a “poor” battery life. So you’ll be able to get away with them reading “fair” for a while before needing to replace them. However, being on top of your battery life isn’t a bad thing either!
What kind of Batteries does the Gauge Use?
The Smart Oil Gauge uses SAFT LS14500 3.6v Lithium batteries. These are a special brand of batteries and cannot be found at your local Home Depot, Lowe’s, or Best Buy. You’ll only be able to purchase them locally at a battery department store, or online on our website.
This is what the correct batteries for the Smart Oil Gauge look like.
The gauge cannot use standard Duracell or Energizer AA batteries either. This is because these batteries are not strong enough to power the gauge. While they’ll only be able to power the LED lights in the gauge, they are not strong enough to power the rest of the device. This is because these batteries are only 1.5 volts, while the gauge needs two 3.6 volt batteries.
How to Replace the Batteries
Replacing the batteries on the Smart Oil is very easy. On the standard Smart Oil Gauge model, replacing them is very simple. All you have to do is take the battery box out of the device and open it up. It can be opened up by turning the box over and finding the three ridges on the back of the box. Once you’ve located them, push down them and push forward. The box should slide right open. Once the box is open, simply take out the old batteries and replace them with the new ones. Close up the battery box and turn the gauge back on. You should then be able to go onto the app and refresh the page.
On a Smart Oil Gauge Dup however, it is so much easier. Simply unscrew the top of the gauge and open up the Duo. Simply push down on the cap to the interiors and it should pop right open. Then simply take out the batteries and put the new ones in. Then close everything up and turn the gauge back on and it should show up online!
Updating the Battery Life
While this doesn’t happen all the time, it’s important to know that sometimes the battery life won’t update right away. You’ll probably notice that once you replace the batteries, the device will come back online and will still read “Fair” or “Poor”. In an instance like this, we recommend that you wait 24-48 hours for the battery life to update on the app.
While the battery life will usually update right away, in some instances it won’t. Waiting 24-48 hours will give the gauge enough time to connect to our servers and check to see if they were changed. If it does check the batteries, you’ll see that they will be reading either “Good” or “Excellent” on the app.
Conclusion
Replacing the batteries on the gauge is very easy. They can be done within a few minutes and can have your gauge operating as normal again! We have a guide on our YouTube channel that gives you a step by step process on this method. You can watch it here.
Simply follow the steps in this blog post and the video and you’ll be able to get the gauge up and running in no time! If you are still having trouble getting the gauge online after they’ve been replaced, feel free to reach out! You can reach us at 203-456-1499 option 3, from 8 am – 5 pm EST, Monday through Friday. You can even reach us by email at support@smartoilgauge.com
With the Smart Oil Gauge, it’s important to have a stable internet connection. But sometimes you’ll need to change your router, password, or SSID for your network. In this case, you’ll need to update the credentials. This is to ensure that the gauge can continue to upload to our servers so you can get your readings. In this article, I’ll cover the most popular and effective way to reconnect your gauge to the WIFI!
When You Would Need to Update the Gauge’s Credentials
Updating the Smart Oil Gauge’s WIFI credentials isn’t something that you would need to do very often. You’ll only ever need to do this if you have made a change to your WIFI network. This can include something as simple as an SSID change or even a password change. More often than not, you’ll need to do this if you’ve changed your WIFI router recently.
Changing your WIFI router is something that you should do every couple of years. It is also the most common reason for needing to update the WIFI credentials on the Smart Oil Gauge.
Method 1: Smart Update
The most common method in reconnecting your gauge to the WIFI is through the Smart Oil Gauge App. There is an option in the “Tools” screen that says “Reconnect WIFI”. From here, you will simply just need to follow the steps on reconnecting the Smart Oil Gauge to the WIFI.
In the above picture, you’ll see each step of going through the in-app reconnection process.
When using the in-app update process, it’s important to be on the same network that you wish to connect the gauge to. It’s important to know that your network MUST be 2.4 GHz only. If it isn’t, you’ll have to go through the alternate process.
Once you’ve typed in your WIFI password, hit continue and make sure you press the tall & thin black button twice. This will cause the gauge to enter the Smart Config/Update mode. The hit continues and the gauge will start updating the credentials. You might get an alert that says “This Sensor was already registered”. If you do get this alert, select “WIFI only”. Your gauge should then complete the update process and reconnect to your WIFI!
Method 2: Alternate Update
If you cannot reconnect the Smart Oil Gauge using the in-app method, then going through the alternate method is probably the best way to reconnect the gauge to your WIFI. Unlike the in-app process, you’ll need to go into your WIFI settings.
First, you’ll need to press and hold the tall thin black button on the top right of the Smart Oil Gauge, once for two seconds. You can usually trigger this by counting “one-one thousand, two-one thousand” while holding the button, before letting go.
In the above photo, you’ll see the steps needed to get through the alternate process. It starts off at your phone’s WIFI settings, before you’ll eventually need to make it to a login screen.
After you’ve held the button down once for two seconds, you’ll see in your WIFI settings a network that says “CCF######”. As you can see in the above photos, in my phone’s WIFI settings, I can see that the CCF network shows up under my “Available Networks”. Once I select the network, if this is the first time I’m joining it, I will need to type in the “smartoil” password to connect to it.
Now, if you’re on Android when doing this, then it will say “Connected without internet” when you successfully connect to the CCF network. If you are on Android, it may or may not take you to the login screen right away. If it doesn’t, you’ll need to go to your web browser (Google Chrome, Firefox, etc) and type in an IP address. That address is 192.168.4.1, and after typing it in, you’ll be brought to the login screen.
Once you’ve made it to the login screen, on the top right or in the center, you’ll see your WIFI network listed there in purple. Tap on your WIFI network and it should auto-fill the SSID box. Once you’ve done that, it will then prompt you to type in your network password. Type it in and leave the email address blank, before hitting the save button. Your gauge should then reconnect to the WIFI.
Method 3: WPS Update
The final method that I recommend is the WPS method. This will only work if your router has a WPS button. When going through this process, I recommend bringing the gauge up to the router if possible. It makes the whole process a lot easier. The first thing that you’ll need to do is go over to your router and check for a WPS button. Usually, this button will look like either a globe, two arrows chasing each other, a lock, or simply might just say WPS on it. Once you’ve located the WPS button, press it and the router should start flashing.
Once you’ve pressed the WPS button, press and hold on to the tall-thin black button once for three seconds (It’s best to count one-one thousand, two-one thousand, three-one thousand, before letting go). If all goes correctly, then the gauge should start flashing three times every second and should automatically make a connection to the WIFI.
Conclusion
If you’ve made any changes to your WIFI network, then going through these processes will help get the gauge back online. They are all pretty simple and easy to follow, so getting the gauge online using these methods, shouldn’t be an issue!
However, if you’ve tried all of these methods and still cannot get the gauge online again, please feel free to contact our tech support team! We are always happy to help troubleshoot your device! You can reach us at 203-456-1499 option 3, Monday through Friday from 8 am-5 pm EST.
Usually, once your furnace hits the ripe age of 30 years old, it means it’s time to replace it. While your annual maintenance can be incredibly helpful for maintaining your home’s HVAC system, there will come a time when you will eventually need to replace it. If that time is now, or if it’s coming over the horizon, please follow these steps to help you choose a new furnace!
What is a Furnace?
A furnace will convert home heating oil, propane, and/or natural gas into heat and will then transfer the heat through the ductwork into the rooms of your home. Your furnace will normally consist of:
The Burner: This will normally combine the air, fuel, and flame that will ignite the fuel to create heat.
Heat Exchanger: This takes the heat from the furnace’s combustion chamber (the location where the fuel burns) and will transfer the heat to the clean air that will then circulated into the home.
Blower: The blower will take air from the inside of the house, and push it through to the heat exchanger and will then blow the hot air out of the furnace and into the home.
When going through the process of choosing a new furnace, we recommend following the below steps.
Step 1: Choosing a Fuel Type
Most of the time, we don’t have much of a choice when it comes to deciding what type of fuel we use for our home. You’ll be considered one of the lucky ones if you have natural gas plumbed in from your street. Be sure that you hook into it as soon as possible and get yourself a gas furnace.
With natural gas available in your street, you will often see meters similar to these installed on the side of homes. Check to see if you’re able to connect to these natural gas lines and heat your home via natural gas. However, sometimes some moratoriums will prevent you from connecting to these lines.
If you don’t have natural gas in your street, then don’t fret. The price differences between oil heat and natural gas are very slight. While heating oil is a bit more expensive, heating oil tends to be a bit more accessible.
When replacing your furnace, the most common approach is to continue using the fuel source that you had used before needing a switch. For example, if you use propane heat, stick with propane. The same goes for heating oil and natural gas. However, when it comes to getting a new furnace, a majority of propane dealers will encourage you to make the switch to propane when you need a new furnace. Don’t do this because THIS IS MORE PROFITABLE FOR THEM. You’ll end up paying significantly more money in the long run to heat your home rather than with heating oil. Additionally, if they tell you that the price per gallon is lower than heating oil, then remember that: it takes 1.35 gallons of propane to generate the same amount of heat as one gallon of heating oil.
When choosing a new furnace, deciding to stick with your current fuel source is usually the best idea. We go a little bit more in-depth about the differences between propane and heating oil in our blog post here.
Step 2: Choosing a Brand
One of the nice things about oil-fired furnaces is that there aren’t a lot of options to choose from. Whichever system you decide to buy, you’ll only end up having one or two burner options that you’ll be able to choose from, but they are all good choices. Additionally, if the burner that you choose stops working in the winter, the technician who will come to fix it, and will have the correct parts to fix it.
However, this is unfortunately not the case when it comes to natural gas furnaces. Natural gas furnaces are usually built and sold all across the country. This results in too many types of these furnaces in particular and technicians are unable to service every single one with the parts that they have in their trucks.
When you choose your brand, you will get what you pay for. If you are buying this furnace and intend to use it over the long term, I recommend ThermoPride or a comparable high-end furnace. If you are purchasing this for a rental property that you’re only going to own for a few years, then the best-priced furnace available is your best choice.
Your best resource overall is your HVAC company. Make sure that you have them quote you a large of brands that you can compare.Your furnace is the heat of your home’s HVAC system. High-end furnaces such as ThermoPride can usually last 30+ years!
Step 3: Choosing a Size
Choosing a size for your furnace is pretty easy if you look at what your current system’s size is. A replacement that is the same size as your current system will be the easiest and give you the least amount of trouble. However, things might’ve changed since your house was originally built. Was there an extension put into the home? Did you upgrade the windows and siding? Was the system sized properly, to begin with?
All of these factors can lead to your current system being under or over-sized. A knowledgeable and competent HVAC contractor will usually ask you a lot of questions about your home. Some of those questions will usually include:
What’s your home’s square footage?
How tall are the walls?
How many windows does each floor have?
What are the windows’ dimensions?
Are they single-pane or dual-pane windows?
How well insulated is your home?
If your HVAC technician asks for just the square footage of your home to figure out the size of your furnace, it’s time to find a new HVAC technician. There are a lot more factors that will contribute to loss of heat other than the square footage of your home.
The easiest by far is to keep the same size furnace as you originally had. But, it might not be sized properly for your home. Heat loss calculations will help determine the best size for your new furnace.
Step 4: Considering Other Factors
The biggest factor in replacing your furnace is price because replacing your furnace can be expensive. The whole job of replacing your furnace can cost anywhere from $8k-$10k depending on the company who does it. Most companies will usually offer 0% financing for these types of jobs in particular. That might be something that you’ll want to consider for additional work other than replacing your furnace. Some examples of this are replacing your oil tank or adding central AC.
Putting all of these jobs together can help bring the total price down. But, it can also help you take full advantage of the 0% financing – for the entire project.
If buying a new furnace system is out of your price range, then maybe buying a new heating oil tank is more in your budget. They can take advantage of amazing finance rates that many HVAC companies will tend to offer.
New Furnace Final Thoughts
Getting a new furnace is super important if it’s time to upgrade. They will help make sure that your home is being properly heated regardless of whichever form of heat you choose to use to heat your home. When choosing a new furnace for your home, think about whether or not you will be selling the home and what your potential buyers might be looking for.
While it’s more expensive up-front, a high-end furnace can pay for itself over the long run. Providing you with effective heating that is incredibly more reliable over the long run. Just make sure to get your furnace tuned up at least once a year to keep it in peak condition.
One of the best things that you can do for your heating oil tank is to install a Smart Oil Gauge. The Smart Oil Gauge will alert you when your tank is low and notify you that oil needs to be delivered. It will also give you the ability to only order oil when you need it! That way, you’re in control of your deliveries! This will help you save a significant amount of money in the long run. Finally, this gauge will also help you preserve heating oil and allow you to see how much oil you are burning.
But, none of this will matter if you can’t get it installed! Especially if your tank has only three fittings in the tank. However, you’re not entirely out of the game yet. There are still a few things that can be done to ensure you install the Smart Oil Gauge correctly.
The Typical Heating Oil Tank
Usually, a typical heating oil tank will have four openings on the top of it. However, sometimes you will see tanks have three fittings. The four fittings on the top of the tank are normally used for the following:
The Fill Pipe Opening: This is where oil pumps into the tank from the delivery truck
The Vent Pipe Opening: This is where the air leaves the tank when you are getting a fill. The tank’s whistle is usually located here.
The Opening for the Float Gauge: This is often the fitting where the float gauge will sit on the tank.
The Extra Opening: Tank installers will often use this fitting to connect a second tank. However, you might also see feed lines being installed on these openings instead of on the bottom of the tank. This will allow the oil in the tank to be drawn out from the top instead of the bottom. This is usually pretty common on outdoor tanks, or on tanks where the bottom isn’t easily accessible.
You’ll often see these four fittings on your oil tank. Each of them have their role to play on your tank weather it be for a Smart Oil Gauge, fill pipe, vent pipe or your float gauge.
Where Should You Install the Smart Oil Gauge with only Three Fittings?
If your tank only has three fittings, you’ll have a few options to install the gauge. Whichever way you decide to install it, will depend on your tank’s setup.
Orientation 1: Fill Pipe/Vent Pipe/Float Gauge
If your tank’s orientation is the following one, then this one has the simplest solution. All you will have to do is simply take the float gauge out of the tank and replace it with the Smart Oil Gauge. Removing the float gauge can be a little difficult, but it’s not completely impossible. However, removing the float gauge isn’t a simple task by any means. By just unscrewing the float gauge, the metal arm will crash into the side of the tank and possibly damage both the arm and tank. For removing the float gauge, follow our step by step guide on how to do that here.
While removing the float gauge can be a little bit confusing, once you follow through our step-by-step guide, the process will seem significantly easier!Pulling the disk out of the gauge is the best way to start the process in removing the gauge from the tank.
Orientation 2: Fill Pipe/Vent & Gauge Combo/ Top Feed Oil Lines
Most oil tanks will often have their oil feed lines installed at the bottom of their tank. However, sometimes you can find their oil lines installed at the top of the tank. It’s important to note that for Roth tanks, this is always going to be the case.
If your feed lines are located on the top of your tank, you’ll have to have an HVAC technician come out and re-locate the feed lines to the bottom of the tank from the top. This is NOT at all something you should try to do. The technician will have to create a vacuum in the tank to remove the plug so that you don’t lose any oil in the tank. Sometimes, the technician might have to drain the tank to be able to move the feed lines. The technician will then have to determine that there’s no sludge at the bottom of the tank and clean up any if necessary. This is normally a last resort, but this is usually the only way to open up the fitting to use the Smart Oil Gauge.
Usually, the top fed lines of an oil tank will look like this. One of these lines connects to the tank, while the other connects to the burner. Some systems don’t have a return line. In that case, the top-feeding fitting will have to be removed and the oil lines would then need to be re-routed to the bottom of the tank. This will also free up an opening for the Smart Oil Gauge. However, this should only be considered for newer tanks that don’t have a lot of sludge build-up.
What’s the Bottom Line?
The Smart Oil Gauge is a phenomenal tool to monitor your oil level and usage. Especially with the inclusion of the Smart Oil Gauge Duo! Getting one installed onto your tank will be an incredible asset! Using our guide to removing the float gauge, you’ll be able to remove the float gauge with ease.
But, if you need to re-route your oil lines, we recommend that you wait for your HVAC technician and asking for a consultation first. They’ll then be able to tell you if moving the lines to the bottom of the tank is possible or not.
Happy Heating,
Hunter
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