Hunter Geist, Author at FuelSnap

Why Do We Use Heating Oil?

August 14, 2023September 8, 2023

Heating oil is one of the most popular forms of home heating, especially so in the northeast. However, what makes heating oil so popular? There are a lot of varying reasons for why you should use heating oil. It is not only very efficient, it is very safe to use and easy to come by! Today, we will discuss how home heating oil originated and why it’s still as popular as it is!

Heating Oil vs Forced Hot Air

You can find some of the oldest homes in the country in the Northeast United States! Many of these homes even date back to the 1800s! Some even earlier than that! Most homes in the early 1900s where heated by a coal-fired furnace that was located in the basement. Similar to fuel oil, the coal was delivered to homes via a truck and was shoveled into the furnace to keep the house warm. However, slowly and surely these coal systems ended up becoming replaced over time with wood burning systems. Heating Oil was more convenient than using a coal or wood based furnace and slowly began to become more popular as the years went on.

Compared to Coal and Wood, heating oil produced more heat and was easier to operate and maintain. It was also easier to store. Storing coal and wood was a hassle. However, oil has a form of easy storage in the form of the oil tank! The tank draws oil from your tank and sends it directly to the burner. With Coal and wood, you would have have to manually add them into your basement’s burner. This become obsolete with the implementation of oil heating.

While completely phased out at one point, coal heating is slowly making a comeback and becoming more popular in modern homes.

The Transition of Coal to Heating Oil

As home heating oil became more popular in the mid-1900s, coal delivery trucks slowly became both coal and fuel oil delivery, until being completely phased out into just heating oil. It then slowly became the the norm, as it was more cost effective while producing a better heat output compared to coal and wood based heating.

Heating Oil Benefits

Compared to other types of heating such as propane, natural gas, electricity or kerosene, Heating Oil has many benefits. Take Radiant Heating for example, which uses a constant flow of heat across your flooring. However, there a large list of benefits and they are listed below:

Heating Oil Is Very Safe: Heating Oil Itself is very safe. It can’t be ignited in it’s liquid state. If you were to put a lit match into a bucket of fuel oil, it would simply burn out. Although, we don’t recommend trying it at home (because heating oil stinks). For the oil to burn, it must be heated to 140 degrees Fahrenheit and atomized before the burner ignites it.

Very Efficient: A single gallon of heating oil can produce 138,000 BTUs. When comparing it to propane that only produces 91,500 BTUs per gallon. However, oil furnaces cannot use 100% of those BTUs, it will still produce 117,725 effective BTUs. That equates to about 85% of the total BTUs. Additionally, propane tanks are also less efficient. Propane tanks are only 95% effective. While that might seem like a lot, when it comes to effective BTUs per gallon, you’re only getting 86,925 effective BTUs out of propane. We go more in depth about this topic in this article.

Cost Effective: Oil Prices in today’s day and age are fluctuating. However, they are still cheaper when comparing to propane prices. Right now propane prices are averaging around $4 a gallon. However, heating oil has seen prices as low as $2.75 a gallon as of recently! That’s a drastic difference! Additionally you’ll need 1.35 gallons of propane to create the same amount of heat as a a gallon of heating oil! With propane you’re effectively paying more for less heat!

No Buying Restrictions: Your fuel oil tank belongs to YOU. That means you have complete control over where you can buy oil from. You are not restricted to a plan given to you by your local dealer. You can order oil from wherever you’d like! With fuel such as propane, you DON’T own you tank and are forced to order through the dealer that sold you the tank. Not having any restrictions on where you can order from will save you hundreds of dollars a year.

If You Run Out You Can Add Diesel: Diesel is practically the same as fuel oil. If you run out, diesel can keep you warm in a pinch. Simply run to the gas station and pick up around 5 or so gallons of diesel to keep you warm until your delivery of oil comes. It will normally keep warm enough for the night. Although, we don’t recommend using it for long term usage. We have an entire article discussing this topic here.

While oil prices fluctuate frequently, they will still usually be cheaper than propane heating.

Heating Oil is Very Easy to Monitor

Most people typically sign up for automatic delivery, have a float gauge or Smart Oil Gauge setup to monitor their tank. They do this to ensure that they don’t run out of oil and wake up with a cold house.

The Smart Oil Gauge is used most commonly now. It can send you alerts of when you get a fill or when you’re running low. It gives up to date readings and usage for day, week, month and year! You will know how much oil you have at all times using one. You’ll also be able to order oil off of our FuelSnap website! It gives the lowest prices guaranteed and is easy to use!

Adjusting your thermostat will also help you to save money on oil. By turning down your thermostat, you’ll control how much you’re burning. This will help you ensure that you are getting the most usage out of your oil as possible!

Heating Oil Is the Best Way to Heat!

Home Heating Oil is a fantastic and reliable form of heating, especially in the Northeast. You will not only feel comfortable with this form of heating, but you will also save more money in the long run. It is cheaper and more efficient than other forms of heating such as propane and radiant heating. It’ll also produce more effective BTUs that will ultimately take less time to heat your home.

Having access to a heating oil tank on your property means that you can purchase heating oil a website like FuelSnap, or through your local dealers! You will also have complete control of where you can order oil from and when you get it. Unlike propane or natural gas that forces you to order through them on their schedule, you’ll be able to order when you need it!

Happy Heating,

Hunter

Should You Remove Your Underground Oil Tank?

August 7, 2023August 7, 2023

Do you use a buried oil tank for your home heating tank? If you do, we recommend that you remove your underground oil tank and replace it with an above ground tank. There are quite a few reasons as to why you should remove it. When they eventually start to leak, then you will have a serious environmental hazard on your hands that could be problematic in the future. In this article, we will discuss the reasons you should remove it and when it’s time to do so.

Identifying an Underground Oil Tank

If you are new to using heating oil, it’s important to know the fundamentals. If your home uses heating oil, then you’ll like have a tank located somewhere on your property. This could be anyway from in your basement or garage. Sometimes, your tank will be located outdoors. To keep your home warm, you’ll need to fill up your tank every so often. You’ll likely have to order heating oil on a regular basis to sustain your supply of oil.

Most oil tanks are commonly above ground. However, underground tanks are often use pretty rarely. Back in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s they where very popular. They grew popularity because the idea of having a massive oil tank out of sight was very appealing. However, as the years went on, some of them started to leak. They became environmental hazards and by the 90s, had begun removing these tanks.

It’s very rare to see any home built since the 1980s to still have underground tanks. If you’re curious, check to see if you have two pipes sticking out from underground. If you see those two pipes, you likely have a buried tank.

These are the fill and vent pipe for the underground tank. The fill pipe on the right allows the driver to pump oil in the tank. While the left pipe allows air to come out of the tank as it gets filled

Why You Should Remove your Underground Oil Tank

You should replace your underground oil tank as soon as possible. This is because, even if it hasn’t start leaking, it will eventually. An underground oil tank that begins leaking is an environmental hazard. If the tank leaks into the soil, it will contaminate the soil. It can cost up to several thousands of dollars to remedy the leak.

Your Tank is 30 Years Old or Older: If your home was built in the 1990’s or older, your oil tank is likely 30+ years old. After about 30 years or so, the interior walls of the oil tank will begin to corrode. Once the corrosion process begins, sections of the tank will begin to break and once the walls become too thin and weak, they will begin to leak. You can have the soil around the tank inspected, it is not easy. If your tank is this old, you should consider replacing it, removing it or relinquish the tank. You can begin the replacement process by deciding what tank you would like to get. We discuss Roth vs Granby style tanks in this article here.
The Tank has Begun to Leak: It’s close to impossible to properly inspect an underground oil tank. Which makes it hard to spot a leak. However, you can keep a close eye on the amount of oil that you are using to determine if you have a leak or not. By keeping track of what your daily usage and gallons are, you can determine how much you’re burning and how much is leaking. You can use a Tank Chart to determine how many gallons are in your tank based on how many gallons it takes and the recorded level. Refer to this article to determine how many gallons you should have without a leak. If water starts to infiltrate your boiler, then it’s very possible that your tank is taking in water which means that oil is escaping the tank as well which can lead to an environmental disaster.
You Have Plans to Sell Your Home: Sometimes an underground tanks can be a real deal breaker for potential customers. Few banks will even mortgage a home if it has a buried oil tank due to the potential for being a liability. Removing the tank and remedying the soil are often expensive and take up a lot of time. However, removing the tank will be overall a good idea to prevent potential property damage in the future that could end up being a lot more stressful than it’s worth.

Removing an oil tank if it is thirty years old or over is very important. Even if it’s not that old, it will become a problem in the future. If the tank is leaking, old or you plan on selling, remove it as soon as possible.

The Verdict

You should remove your underground tank as soon as possible if it thirty years or older. After being buried underneath your yard for several decades, it’s hard to know what your tank’s condition is like. To get it removed, hire a well known tank removal company to remove the tank and dispose of it. Additionally, they will also test the soil around the tank itself to make sure no oil contaminants have damaged the soil around it.

Getting a new above ground oil tank installed is the next task that should be done almost immediately after removing your underground tank. Once the tank itself has been removed, you can stop at your local Home Depot or Lowes and scout out some new tanks.

Alternatively, you can go online to the manufacturers themselves to purchase a new tank. Getting an above ground tank will not only last you longer, but you’ll be able to more accurately keep track of your oil consumption! Above ground tanks are also easier to maintain! You will be able to monitor the tank itself and make sure it’s not leaking.

Happy Heating,

Hunter

How Safe is Heating Oil?

July 31, 2023July 21, 2023

Heating Oil is among the most popular sources of heating in the Northeast. It’s also known to be one of the safest. But how safe is heating oil? Well there are quite a few benefits to heating oil that makes it the best source for heating on the market. In today’s article, we will be discussing the benefits of heating oil and what makes it as popular as it is.

How does Heating Oil Work?

While sometimes referred to as Fuel Oil, Heating Oil is contained in an oil tank in your home that is directly connected to your heating system. Your heating oil tank is usually always located in your basement or garage. However, you will sometimes even have it outside! Very rarely nowadays, you tank may be located underground. To be able to get occasional oil deliveries, a heating oil truck must deliver oil every so often.

If you’re running low and you haven’t gotten a fill recently, it is imperative that you get a delivery as soon as possible. Running out of oil can not only damage your tank, but in the cold winter months will cause your pipes to freeze!

This is what the average fuel oil tank looks like. Its standard size is usually 275 gallons. These sized tanks, as well as 330 gallon tanks are usually the most common tanks you will see.

Heating Oil is drawn from the the tank and gets pumped into your burner. Sometimes this process is naturally done through gravity to the burner itself. Although that isn’t very common. Once oil has reached your burner, it goes through the following process:

Heating Oil is first drawn into the oil filter from the tank. The filter will then filter out any debris or contaminants that could be floating around in the oil.
The burner itself will then begin to preheat itself. It will activate a fan that will mix air into it and help to start burning the fuel.
The heating oil then goes through a process of atomization (converting the oil into a mist), where it then heats up and ignites into a flame
A sensor within the system then confirms that the ignition of the oil has occurred. The system then burns the heating oil until the thermostat tells the unit to stop.

Is it Safe?

It is a requirement for heating oil to become atomized and heated to 140 degrees Fahrenheit before you ignite it. Heating oil itself is extremely safe! Additionally, while in liquid form it is non flammable! Which means if you where to drop a match into a bucket of heating oil, it would simply go out. However, we do not recommend doing this at home because heating oil tends to smell!

Unlike gas heating, you do not have to fear fumes entering your home when heating oil is heating the home. If your home smells like heating oil then it could be possible that you might have a leak of some kind. To ensure that you don’t have a leak, be sure to check out our article on tank inspections. We go over the process a bit more in depth there.

Where can I Buy Heating Oil?

There are plenty of different places where you can buy heating oil. If you have a reoccurring plan with your oil dealer then you will likely be purchasing through them. However, you can also order oil on our FuelSnap website and through the Smart Oil Gauge App!

We offer the cheapest prices on heating oil in local areas that are from dealers in your local area! Simply just go to the website and type in your zip code and you will be able to start looking at pricings from your local dealers.

How Hot is Heating Oil?

Heating Oil burns HOT. However, because it burns so hot, you will actually get more heat per gallon when comparing it to other forms of heating. Out of a single gallon of heating oil, you will get an average of 138,500 BTUs. BTU means British Thermal Unit and it is used to keep track of measurements on heating. When comparing Heating Oil to propane for example, heating oil is generally 85% more efficient. Propane will only produce 91,500 BTUs. If you’d like to look at this topic in more depth, we cover all of the nitty gritty details of Heating Oil vs Propane in this article.

Should I Use Heating Oil?

Heating Oil is both extremely safe and efficient. If you have it properly stored in an oil tank in either your basement, garage or outdoors, you will often see up to thirty years of usage! You will need to order oil every so often, but it is incredibly reliable when it comes to heating your home!

If you have an underground heating oil tank, we recommend replacing it with an above ground. This is simply just because the tank will run into less long term issues. An above ground tank is also easier to manage. If you need some advice on replacing your oil tank, check out this article.

Happy Heating,

Hunter

Inspecting your Heating Oil Tank: What to do and What to Look for

July 24, 2023July 20, 2023

It is both a good and common practice to regularly inspect your oil tank. You should do this every few months, but you should get a tank inspection at least once a year. Most oil dealers will actually require a tank inspection prior to the fill. The inspection will only take a few minutes to do. But if you wish to inspect the tank yourself, then there a few crucial things to know.

Inspecting Above Ground Tanks

There are still many home owners who use in-ground heating. However, above ground heating oil tanks are the more popular of the two. It’s important to know that that above ground oil tanks are a bit easier to maintain and service. The same is true for a tank inspection.

Heating Oil tanks commonly come in the size of 275 gallons. They are typically in the shape of an oval. Additionally, they are the most common form of heating in the Northeast United States. Below, you’ll see what a standard tank looks like. Additionally, please be sure to keep this photo as reference. It will be a helpful tool in the inspection of your tank.

You should inspect your home heating tank at least once a year. This is because without inspecting the tank often, you run the risk of the tank leaking if you do not find out fast enough.

Step 1: Inspect the Base and Footing of your Oil Tank

The first thing to do when you inspect your tank is to ensure the floor beneath your tank is sturdy. This is vital because over time the ground beneath your tank can settle which will cause problems in the future. Next, you must inspect all four of your tank’s legs. You must make sure that they are rust free. This is important because a full 275 gallon tank weighs up to Two Thousands pounds. That’s about the size of a small car!

On an Outdoor tank, inspecting the base and footing of the tank is significantly more important. Your outdoor oil tank needs to be sitting on a single concrete slab. Having each leg on a separate cinderblock or even on the grass of your yard. If that is the case, it is important that you change the ASAP. That offers uneven weight distribution causing the ground underneath to sink. Sometimes the tank legs will create a hole that could cause your tank to fall over. Uneven cinderblock distribution can even effect the tank’s level by making it uneven. Even worse, the tank could fall over and spill.

Step 2: Check for Rust Free Seams

The sides of your oil tank are welded together. There is potential for deformities in the welded area. The seams should be regularly inspected for rust to ensure that this doesn’t happen. Once rust begins to appear around the seams, oil will slowly begin to leak out of your. Sometimes, the tank can even rupture if the leak has been there for a long period of time. It is vital to make sure that there are no signs of leakage on or around the tank’s seams.

Step 3: Make Sure the Bottom of the Tank isn’t Leaking

Similar to the rusting seams, the bottom of your tank tends to have a higher chance of exposure to corrosion. This is due to specific heating oil blends being hygroscopic. That means that they are more susceptible to absorbing water. Water in your tank will lead to corrosion on the interior. That will then cause small holes to form alongside the bottom of the tank. This is what will cause your tank to slowly leak onto the floor. This will then cause even more damage to the tank. Be sure to keep an eye on the fitting where the oil tank comes out. It is important because you want to make sure that it is secure and not leaking out onto the floor.

Step 4: Check the Oil Line for Leaks

Believe it or not, the oil line is capable of leaking as well. This is usually more common on older tanks which is why modern tank oil lines are made from copper that have a plastic coating that provide the lines with additional reinforcement. It is important to check your line for any sort of leaks or cuts on the line itself. Check to make sure you check the entire line and follow it all the way to your oil burner (furnace or boiler). Although it is rare to have the lines themselves leak, it is still something that should be aware of and keep an eye out for.

Step 5: Check your Oil Filter for Leaks

Your heating oil will pass through an Oil Filter on it’s way through to the oil tank. The filter is usually found close to the oil tank and feed lines. However, sometimes you can usually find it by the burner. Filters usually get replacements fairly often and it is quite important to make sure that there are no leaks by the filter for when your oil makes it’s way to your burner. Checking your tank’s filter regularly is important to ensure that there are no hidden leaks that pose a threat to your tank in the future.

Step 6: Inspect the Top of your Tank for Leaks

Leaks on the top of your tank are not as important compared to those in other locations of your tank. However, it is still a good idea to make sure that you are aware of them and take care of them ASAP. Additionally, if you’re seeing any oil on the top of your tank, then your tank has been overfilled. It is important to keep an eye on your tank to see if it is being overfilled.

Overfilling a tank will have major consequences for not just the tank, but for your basement. In the scenario of an overfill, oil will spill out onto the floor of your basement. This could cause damage to the flooring and the tanks legs to rust. If your tank is outside and experiences an overfill, it will make it’s way into the soil of the ground. This can damage the environment and can be incredibly hazardous.

Inspect your Tank’s Whistle/Vent Alarm:

This a crucially important step in the process of your tank inspection. Your tank’s vent alarm is a very important part of your tank. The whistle makes a high pitched sound that indicates the tank is filling up. It lets the driver know when to stop filling the tank. Typically when the oil reaches 7 or inches from the top of the tank, it will stop whistling. This will then inform the driver to stop filling the tank. However, it is very important that we are aware that the tank’s whistle is working properly.

If the tank’s whistle isn’t working properly, it could cause your tank to overfill which will cause damage to your tank’s environment. Most dealers will not fill the tank at all if there isn’t a working vent alarm. They will then advise you to fix the whistle and they will come back at a different time to fill your tank.

These are some examples of what your tank’s vent alarm will look like. The sound emitted from the top of the device to alert the driver that the tank is being filled. Once the sound stops, the driver will stop pumping oil into the tank to prevent the tank from overfilling. If the driver doesn’t hear the whistle when the tank is being filled, then they will not fill the tank.

Conclusion

It is crucial and important that you stay on top of your oil tank maintenance. A frequent tank inspection will keep you ahead of the game. Even if you aren’t the one looking it over, it is important to be aware of what to look out for to prevent leaks in the future. If you notice that your tank is starting to show some wear and tear, then we recommend replacing it. If you’re considering getting a replacement tank, take a look at these articles. We go over the pros and cons of both Granby Tanks Vs Roth Tanks and Heating Oil vs Heat Pumps. Oil tanks can last up to 30 years but having a leak in your tank can be catastrophic! If you follow the steps in this article, you won’t be awake at night wondering if your tank is leaking or not!

Additionally, the Smart Oil Gauge is a great tool to have to be able to monitor how many gallons of oil are within your tank at any given time! Using it will help you keep track of any dips or spikes in oil level and can even clue you in on a possible leak, if you’re burning an excess amount of oil.

Happy Heating!

Hunter

Which is Better: Boiler Heating vs Radiant Heating?

July 20, 2023August 3, 2023

Weather you’re building a new home or shopping for a new one, the question of home heating is very important. There are various different types of home heating but one I’d like to touch on is Radiant Heating.

Throughout the course of this article we will go over radiant heating in depth and see if it is better or worse than using a boiler

What is Radiant Heat?

Radiant heat is a form of heat that transmits through electromagnetic waves. There are two other forms of heating compared to this. They are conduction heating and convection heating.

A perfect example of Radiant Heat would be heat that is emitted from when you’re sitting by a fire. When you’re standing by a heat vent and feel the heating coming out from there, that is an example of convection heat. Finally, when you feel the heat coming off something you touch, that’s conduction.

Radiant heating in your home, will often be in the floors or walls. Hot water then travels underneath the surface of your floor. It will typically need to stay warm all day to keep the area warm. While it might sound odd, it is both popular and uncommon. You cannot install Radiant heating in an existing home, you must install it before you finish the floors.

This is a primary example of what the wiring and mapping of radiant flooring looks like. It is done in a specific way like this, so that the heat is evenly distributed throughout the floor.

The Benefits of Radiant Heating:

There are quite a few benefits to using Radiant heat. However, here are some examples:

Very Comfortable: The heat that is provided from Radiant heating is very warm. The surface of the floor becomes very warm and comfortable to walk on during the chilly winter months.

Provides Even Heat Distribution: When the Radiant heating system produces heat, it evenly rises throughout the room. It also is able to maintain a consistent warm temperature throughout all hours of the day. However, forced hot air will often produce patches of heat and cold throughout the room.

Has the Ability to Zone: One of the most useful tools that Radiant heat has is the ability to zone the heat to specific sections of the house. This allows you to have complete customization over where in the house the system will heat.

The Downsides of Radiant Heating:

Despite the many benefits to using Radiant Heating, there are a few downsides to it as well. Some of them include:

Very Complex and Expensive: Unfortunately, Radiant heating is by no means simple. It is a requirement to install before the floors are put in. It is also incredibly difficult to modify the house with Radiant heat. Additionally, compared to your standard oil heating radiant heating is very expensive to install.

Servicing is Difficult: Due to being underneath the flooring, servicing a radiant heating system is incredibly difficult. However, most of the issues with these systems in particular usually require boiler room service. So that is not huge concern.

Takes Longer to Heat Up: While Radiant heat warms the entire surface it is underneath, it . does take quite some time to warm up. It is not ideal for secondary homes where heating is only needed for a short period of time.

Needs Professional Installation: To prevent leaks and inconsistent heating problems, Radiant heat requires a professional to install. This is a requirement for it’s installation.

This is what an example of a radiant heating installation looks like. It must be installed by a professional HVAC technician.

How Radiant Heat Compares to Heating Oil

Radiant heat is generally more inefficient than heating oil. However, you will be able to save more money in the long run with heating costs. The system will simply just need to be turned on for it to heat your house. It is also allergy safe! This means that it helps reduce the spread of allergens that could be affecting yourself or your children!

For Heating Oil however, you will still need to order every so often to make sure that you don’t run out. It is very important to stay on top of the amount of oil in your tank. This is because if you run out of oil in your tank, it could damage your boiler and cause serious issues in the future.

What are the Benefits of Heating Oil?

When comparing Heating Oil to radiant heat, it is often more efficient. It burns very hot which will often make the rest of the house nice and toasty. Heating Oil will also heat your home a lot faster than radiant heat. Radiant heat takes significantly longer than a boiler or furnace to warm up your home.

Heating Oil maintenance is also easier to get a hold of. This is because most HVAC technicians are familiar with heating oil compared to Radiant Heating. Your furnace and boiler also usually have a designated room in your home that is easily accessible. This allows HVAC technicians to have an easier time diagnosing the issue, so they will be able to fix the issue faster.

What are the Downsides of Heating Oil?

The biggest downside to heating is a fluctuation in price. While Radiant heating will not often change much price wise, heating oil does. Heating Oil often sees global changes in price depending on what’s happening globally. For example, last year when Russia invaded Ukraine, we stopped purchasing oil from Russia. As a result, our oil price increased drastically. Oil pricing also tends to fluctuate often during the colder months as it becomes more in demand.

Another major problem with heating oil, is that if you are not careful you will run out. When you run out of heating oil, you will likely wake up to a cold home. To prevent this, you will need to be on top of your oil level. Running out of oil can seriously damage your boiler or furnace. You can use either a standard float gauge or use a Smart Oil Gauge. Using either of these gauges will make sure that you don’t run out of oil.

Your standard oil tank will usually look like this. It comes with four fittings. Two for the fill and vent pipes and another two for your gauges.

Is Radiant Heat a Worthwhile investment?

If you are building a new home and are considering to use this as your main source of heating, then I highly recommend it! But, it is important to know that it is expensive to install. This is balances out by saving money on heating oil costs. Considering that Oil tends to fluctuate in price frequently, this could help you in the long run.

However, if your home is already a home that uses a furnace or boiler, it isn’t worth the hassle to try to find a new home or seek a way to install Radiant heating into your home. Instead, be sure to use the FuelSnap website to get the most up to date deals on heating oil in your local area!

If you’re curious on other sources of heating, be sure to check out our articles on Heating Oil vs Heat Pumps and Granby Tanks vs Roth Tanks. We go in depth in both of these topics to ensure that you get the best out of your heating oil!

Happy Heating,

Hunter

Choosing a Heating Oil Tank: Granby vs Roth. Which is better?

July 3, 2023January 26, 2024

It’s summer time! This means its the perfect opportunity to consider some HVAC maintenance. Getting your A/C and heating systems serviced during this time is a smart idea, because this time of year is considered to be off season. This is when dealers and HVAC technicians have more time and availability due to less of a demand for heating oil. Due to this increased availability, it’s the perfect time to replace your heating oil tank!

With a standard lifespan of anywhere from 10-30 years, most tanks will need to be replaced after thirty years or so. However, if you properly maintain your tank, it will last even longer!

In this post, we will go through the process of selecting a new home heating oil tank! This article will cover two popular tank styles, Granby steel tanks and Roth Double-Wall tanks.

How does a Fuel Oil Tank work?

Before selecting a new tank, it is vital to understand how a heating oil tank works. Firstly, when the delivery takes place, the driver will access your tanks fill pipe that is usually located outside your home. There is also a vent pipe that is located close to the fill pipe. The vent pipe allows air to enter the tank as you use oil and exit the tank as you receive oil. This is used mostly to alleviate pressure from the tank as it is being filled. Attached to the bottom of the vent is a whistle. The whistle notifies the driver when to stop pumping oil into the tank to avoid overfill. The whistle will continue to make a sound until oil covers it. Once the oil has covered the whistle, the driver will stop pumping. If you are curious on the filling process, please check out this article!

Each heating oil tank comes with a float gauge. This is a vital part of your tank, and it is very important to have a functioning whistle. We will discuss the gauge in a bit more detail below.

Finally, your tank comes equipped with feed lines. These are usually located on either the top or bottom of the tank. They feed the burner which will then supply heat to the rest of your home. One thing to be aware of with the feed lines, is that if they are on the top of the tank, the lines will not reach down to the bottom. This will typically leave a few gallons of oil sitting at the bottom of the tank. With these few gallons at the bottom of the tank, you will never run out of oil. However, you will simply reach the limit of oil accessible to your feed lines.

Granby Steel Tanks

These tanks are easily the most common tank choices. They come in a large variety of sizes, but you will often see them as 275 or 300 gallon tanks.

Granby tanks will often have four openings on the top, they also include several openings on the bottom for possible feedline locations. The benefit to have four fittings on the top is that you can install both the Float Gauge AND the Smart Oil Gauge side by side each other. This will give you the ability to measure your oil level from both the tank location and remotely on your phone, wherever you go!

This is what a standard 275 Granby tank looks like. They are by far the most common oil tanks used in the average home nowadays. Each of these tanks usually feature four legs on the bottom that hold it up. Additionally, they come with four fittings on the top of the tank to make room for your fill pipe, vent pipe, float gauge and an extra fitting.

Granby offers many different tanks at many different sizes. Their tank sizes range from 138 gallons to 330 gallons. In most cases, their tanks are also only available in either a vertical or horizontal orientation. Those orientations are designed to be able to fit in crawl spaces and tight spaces. If your home already has a Granby tank, then it is easier to simply replace the preexisting Granby tank with a new one. This is because there will already be enough space for the tank. Additionally, the fill pipe and vent pipe will already line up with the new tank.

Additionally, with Granby tanks, you will be able to easily add multiple tanks to your existing one. However, this will only be possible if you have enough room for those additional tanks. All the technician has to do, is add some additional components onto both tanks to connect them. Having multiple tanks will increase your overall oil capacity. This will let you order more oil in larger amounts! Be sure to checkout our FuelSnap website for the best oil prices!

Using a Smart Oil Gauge on a Granby Tank

Granby tanks are the most common tank that we see the Smart Oil Gauge installed onto. They have exactly two inch fittings that the smart oil gauge can be screwed into. With the Smart Oil Gauge installed onto your tank, you will know the precise reading of oil in your tank.

Additionally, the gauge will track your usage data! It is constantly keeping track of oil consumption throughout the days, weeks, months and years! With this added information, you’ll be able to conserve more heating oil by setting your thermostat to it’s optimal settings to coincide with the Smart Oil Gauge!

Roth Double-Wall Tanks

In the above photo, you will see the various different styles of Roth tanks. They each come with an plastic internal tank that’s surrounded by an outer metal casing. They are slightly taller than the Granby tanks. These tanks come in five different sizes. These include, 110, 165, 275 regular, 275 low-height and 400 gallons.

If you’re looking for a more modern look for your oil tank, then a Roth tank might be the style for you! The inside of a Roth tank features a plastic internal tank. This plastic tank is also surrounded by the exterior metal tank. The good thing about having a plastic tank, is that it will not corrode. However, other fuel tanks will corrode over time. With the inclusion of the metal exterior of the tank, if the plastic tank on the interior were to fail, the metal exterior will catch the contents of the plastic tank.

Compared to Granby tanks, Roth tanks have a smaller and more compact footprint. Additionally, they are lighter than the Grandby tank. This makes them much easier to maneuver into your basement or wherever you wish to install the tank. Despite that, most installers don’t have experience with Roth tanks and will often try to persuade you towards a Granby tank.

Roth tanks come equipped with four openings on the top of the tank. They are used for the fill pipe, vent pipe and feed lines. There is an extra fitting that you can use for whatever else you would like. However, you must choose carefully because there is only one extra fitting. This can include either a standard float gauge, or a Smart Oil Gauge.

Using a Smart Oil Gauge on a Roth Tank

Installing the Smart Oil Gauge onto a Roth tank is a little bit different from a Granby tank. First thing to note is that the gauge is not compatible with the Roth 1500L(400 Gallons). This is because that specific tank has a large support baffle in the middle of the tank that will interfere with the gauge’s readings.

An adapter is a requirement for installing the gauge onto the tank. Without the adapter, the gauge will always read as full. This is because the signal comes out of the gauge in a cone shape. Without the adapter, the signal will bounce off of the bottom threads of the tank’s fitting. This will result in the gauge always reading as full.

It’s also important to note that when setting up the Smart Oil Gauge on a Roth tank, that there’s a different installation method then on a standard steel tank. The Roth adapter is required for installation on these tanks. Additionally, the process in which you install it is different. You can watch our installation guide here.

Choosing Between a Granby and Roth Tank

In order to make your decision easier, we’ve come up with a helpful chart to show you the differences between the two tanks side by side. For the Roth tank, you should expect to pay a little bit more. This is because the Roth tank comes with a 30 year warranty included with it. While the Roth tank is also more lightweight and compact compared to the Granby tank, not all installers are familiar with the Roth Tanks.

However, if you like a a well built tank that is familiar to installers, Granby might be the way to go. You’ll also be able to easily add additional tanks to the Granby tank. So long as it fits within your budget. Doing so will allow you to order more heating oil when you need it! You’ll also be able to jump on discounted pricing with orders consisting of 200 or more gallons.

Roth tanks come with a smaller footprint and a longer warranty compared to the Granby tanks. However, Granby tanks tend to be less expensive and have a larger size variety. A larger number of HVAC technicians are more familiar with Granby tank compared to Roth tanks.

In conclusion, your personal preference will play a larger role in deciding which heating oil tank you will ultimately go with. The easiest method to changing your tank is to simply change the existing tank with the same type of tank. This will ultimately reduce labor costs and make the job easier for the HVAC technician. If you are interested in the smaller footprint or warranty, then purchasing a Roth tank might be the way to go. With the Granby tank, you will be able to use both your standard Float Gauge and the Smart Oil Gauge. The Smart Oil Gauge will help you keep track of your oil level and consumption, even if you aren’t home! Regardless of which tank you decide to go with, you should discuss the options with your HVAC technician and the individuals you live with.

Happy Heating,

Hunter

Heating Oil vs Heat Pump: Which is Better?

June 26, 2023August 9, 2023

If you’ve ever been to a friend or family members house, you might’ve seen what’s known as a heat pump. It is essentially an external form of heating and cooling that takes air from the outdoors, and converts it to either warm or cold air depending on the season. However, is it better than heating oil? Let’s find out!

What is a Heat Pump?

A heat pump is a heating unit that is located outdoors. It doesn’t use fuel to produce heat. Instead, it extracts heat from the outside air and pushes it into your home. Think of it like air conditioning, but the exact opposite.

However, during the spring and summer months, you can change it into it’s cooling mode. In this cooling mode, it extracts cold air from outside and pushes it into your home to keep you nice and cool.

Similar to oil tanks, there are different designs and styles for heat pumps. The two most common being the Air-Source and Ground-Source heat pumps. Ground-Source heat pumps are more expensive and extract heat from the outside ground. The heat pump then pumps hot or cold air into your home. When comparing them to the Air-Source heat pumps, they are generally more efficient.

This is an example of what an Air-Source heat pump looks like. The fan that sucks in the outside air is located on the top. It is then brought into the house where it will be converted into heat or cold air.

Heat Pump Benefits

So long as the outside temperature remains above freezing, heat pumps tend to be very energy-efficient. They produce a natural form of heat and cooling that will ultimately result in a lower energy bill. Additionally, they don’t require you to burn fuel!

They are very versatile and they see usage for both heating and cooling. Air quality will not be an issue either, so long as your neighborhood has decent air quality! You also won’t have to worry about carbon monoxide leaks, because heat pumps don’t contain CO!

What are the downsides of heat pumps?

With the good benefits of heat pumps, there are quite a few downsides. They produce less heat compared to your furnace. They also will not make your home as hot and toasty as you might like. When comparing this to heating oil, your furnace will burn oil significantly hotter than this.

Additionally, heat pumps will often lose efficiency the colder it is outside! With below freezing temperatures, heat pumps will often have to work harder to heat up the house because the air is coming from the outdoors. They are unreliable in environments with erratic weather and freezing cold winters.

What are the Benefits of Heating Oil?

Heating oil produces more heat compared to a heat pump. The heat produced from your furnace using heating oil is often significantly hotter than a heat pumps.

A gallon of heating oil produces 138,500 BTUs (117,725 effective BTUs) per gallon of heating oil. While a heat pump will only produce 60,000 BTUs for your standard 2,500 square foot home. With heating oil, you are effectively producing twice the amount of heat compared to a heat pump.

This is your standard oil tank. It’s constantly filled every so often to ensure that you do not run out of oil and wake up with a cold house!

What are the downsides of Heating Oil?

While heat pumps might be odorless, heating oil unfortunately isn’t. While an oil leak from your tank is rare, they can still happen. If your tank where to have a leak, you will most definitely smell it. Constantly checking your tank is a requirement to ensure that you never have a leak. If your oil tank is leaking, you MUST call an HVAC technician ASAP.

Additionally, oil prices also fluctuate constantly! They are commonly affected my global changes in oil price. Oil prices where at an all time high back in 2022 when Russia invaded the Ukraine. However, when COVID-19 first started, oil prices where as low as they have been in a long time. Prices where as low as $1 per gallon!

If you aren’t careful in keeping track of your oil level, you could run out! Running out can cause serious problems for your home. During the cold winter months, if you run out of oil, your pipes could freeze. This can cause some serious damage to your home! Be sure to have a Smart Oil Gauge installed onto your tank to monitor your oil levels! If you recently ran out of oil, check out this article to know what to do incase this happens again!

Conclusion

While heat pumps are fantastic for both of your heating and cooling needs, they are often unreliable the colder it gets. Additionally, because they produce less heat, your home will not be as warm as it would be with a furnace.

Where you live is very important for purchasing a heat pump or not. If you live in an area with mild winters, a heat pump would be best! With much colder weather up here in the northeast, heat pumps are simply less reliable compared to heating oil.

Heating oil is not only reliable, it also creates more heat compared to a heat pump. It’s not reliant on the outside temperature for it’s functionality and can be used regardless of the outside weather. Ultimately, heating oil should be your primary source of heating in the northeast.

Happy Heating,

Hunter

Why you Should Buy a Home with Heating Oil

June 19, 2023June 6, 2023

In the Northeast, oil-heated homes are very popular. However, natural gas is often more common throughout the rest of the states. The reason heating oil is so popular is because of how cost-effective it is. It’s very easy to come by and also incredibly safe. If you’re curious on what some of the other benefits are, then keep following along! We’ll touch upon everything shortly!

What is Heating Oil?

In the northeast, heating oil is one of the most popular ways to heat your home. You’ll store heating oil somewhere on your property in an oil tank. This oil is then fed into your boiler or furnace where it’s burned and converted into heat! The most common places to find your oil tank are indoors in your basement, or outdoors on the side of your house.

Alternatively, you can also find your heating oil tank located in your garage or underground in your backyard! However, underground tanks are growing less common each day. This is because they have issues with leaking and are often difficult to maintain.

If the home you are considering buying has an underground tank, it is best to uninstall it and replace it with an above ground tank. If you’re unsure on what kind of tank to get, try taking a look at this article!

Like the above tank, a home that uses oil heating will display a tank similar to this one. Most of the time, there will only be one tank. However, you will see two tanks connected to each other on occasion. If your home has an underground tank, it would be best to replace it with an above ground tank!

Oil Deliveries

To keep your heat running, your oil tank must get a fill every so often. We have a more in depth article on this topic. You can find that here! To ensure that you don’t run out of oil, it is best for you to order oil whenever your tank is low. We do not recommend automatic delivery services. We go over the pros and cons of getting your heating oil delivered automatically here.

Long story short, it is much more cost effective to order heating oil when you need it. Automatic delivery services will end up costing you several hundred dollars more a year. This is because dealers will charge a premium price for automatic delivery. Additionally, because of wireless smart gauges such as the Smart Oil Gauge, automatic delivery has become more optional.

Your heating oil must be delivered to your home on occasion. You can choose if you would like to have automatic delivery or buy oil whenever you need it. You can also order oil from our FuelSnap site to get the lowest price possible!

What are the Benefits of Heating Oil?

There are a multitude of benefits to using home heating oil. Here are just a few reasons:

It is Safe to Use: The flash point of heating oil is 140 degrees Fahrenheit. This allows heating oil to be non-flammable at room temperature! It is extremely safe because of this and isn’t something you should have to worry about having in your home. To even get your heating oil to ignite, you must preheat it first. It will then need to me atomized.
It is Efficient: 138,500 BTUs (a measurement of heat) are produced from a single gallon of heating oil. Because burners are usually around 85% productive, that equals to 117,725 effective BTUs per gallon of oil. However, propane on the opposite end only produces 91,500 BTUs per gallon, and they’re not all effective! Compared to heating oil, you will need to burn 1.35 gallons of propane to match the effectiveness of heating oil! If you are curious, please check out this article to find out all the secrets your propane dealer is keeping from you!
It is Readily Available: Throughout the northeast, thousands of heating oil dealers delivery oil daily! With helpful websites such as FuelSnap, you can compare prices from all of your local dealers. All of these dealers are competing for YOUR business! You have so much flexibility with heating oil that you don’t have with other sources of heating!
It’s Cost Effective: Heating oil is incredibly cost effective. This is because it creates so much heat from a single gallon of oil. Over the past decade, oil prices have dropped significantly. As you being the homeowner, you have complete authority on who you want to order oil from. The oil market is highly competitive, and dealers are constantly trying to out sell each other. Dealers are constantly trying to keep their oil prices as low as possible. This is so you are more incentivized to buy their oil! However, dealers will also try to incentivize you into signing up for automatic delivery. DO NOT use automatic delivery as it will cost you more money in the long run. To keep up to date on oil pricing, take a look on our FuelSnap website.

Conclusion

Should you buy a home with Heating Oil? Short Answer: Yes

Heating Oil is a safe and cost-effective fuel for keeping your house warm. If you are deciding between heating oil or propane, heating oil is the clear answer. If you are given the option for natural gas, then we recommend you use natural gas. Natural gas is both cost effective, and plentiful! You’ll never have to worry about your supply!

However with heating oil, you have complete control of when you order, and which dealers you order from! Using websites like FuelSnap can guarantee the best price by comparing between all of your local dealers. Finally, to ensure you never run out of oil, invest in the Smart Oil Gauge! You’ll be able to keep an eye on your tank’s level wherever you go!

Happy Heating,

Hunter

How to Replace your Oil Tank Gauge

June 12, 2023June 5, 2023

Are you having trouble determining how many gallons of oil are in your tank? If you are, then it might time to replace your oil gauge. In this article, we’ll walk you through the process of replacing your tank’s float gauge. However, if this is not something you feel like doing yourself, then feel free to contact an HVAC technician to come out and replace it for you!

What do you need?

If you are capable and know your way around an oil tank, then replacing your gauge will not be too difficult! The following tools are required:

Rubber Gloves
Wear Old Clothes (Heating Oil smells! So be sure to not ruin your favorite pairs of clothes!)
A wrench that is 14″ or bigger – Buy it here!
Pipe Dope or Thread Sealant – Buy it here!
Penetrating Oil/Liquid Wrench (This is OPTIONAL) – Buy it here!

How does your Float Gauge Work?

Before we start, it’s important to know how the float gauge works. This will help in the removal process, as well as knowing what to expect. Essentially, there is a long thing metal rod that attaches to the “float” (sometimes also an be a cork). The long metal rod is like an arm. The arm has a hinge that moves up and down with the float, depending on the tank’s oil level. On the top of the metal arm, sits the gauge. It is comprised of a little colored disc that’s housed in a plastic vial. The disc will move up and down with the float and give you an estimation as to how many gallons are in your tank.

The bobber sits on top of the oil level and will give you an estimation based on where the bobber sits. However, be careful because sometimes it can get stuck.

How does a Float Gauge Break?

Unfortunately, you might have to replace your gauge more often then you’d like. There are a number of reasons for why they go bad so quickly. The most common reasoning for this is a build up of sludge on the bobber. There’s a photo below that will show you exactly what this looks like. The metal arm that the bobber sits on can also get bent over time. Sometimes if you push down on the disc of the float gauge, this metal hinge can break or bend.

Finally, over time the whole assembly of the gauge can rotate. This can cause the float to become stuck on the side of the tank’s wall. When this happens, the gauge is no longer able to move up or down and the gauge will be stuck. Replacing the gauge entirely is the best solution at that point.

A buildup of sludge as shown in this image is a common cause for a float gauge to go bad. Once the gauge has been covered in sludge like this, it is hard to clean off. Because of sludge buildup, wireless sensing gauges such as the smart oil gauge are recommended.

Step 1: Loosen the Fitting

Before unthreading the float gauge’s assembly, you have to start off by loosening it. First, manually remove the plastic vial with your hands and uncover the disk. Secondly, put the pipe wrench on the gauge’s metal fitting . Then VERY SLIGHTLY loosen the fitting with your hands. DO NOT Loosen this more than half a turn because the float will hit the tank’s interior wall.

Pro Tip: If the fitting isn’t moving, you can soak it in penetrating oil (Liquid Wrench for Example) for several hours or days. After you waiting, you should be able to unscrew it faster.

To access the disc assembly, unscrew the vial by hand. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be able to proceed onto step 2. You can now use the pipe wrench to loosen the assembly.

Step 2: Pull Up the Disc and Loosen the Fitting Completely

Once you’ve loosened the fitting, you’ll need to use both hands to continue. Ideally, it would be best to have someone help you during this process. However, it is not a requirement and this can be a one person job. Simply just continue to follow the steps below if you are alone.

Pull the disc up as far as it can go. Doing so will lift up the float. This will allow you to rotate the gauge’s assembly. Lifting the assembly out will allow the assembly to rotate and move around, without smashing into the inside wall of the tank.

Pulling up the disc will allow the float to rise up out of the oil. Once you’ve done that, you can continue pulling the gauge out of the tank by unscrewing it from your tank’s fitting.

Step 3: Removing the Float Assembly

Once you’ve loosened the fitting completely, you can remove the float gauge’s assembly. This next step is messy, so be sure you have your garbage bag and paper towels ready!

Allow the float to settle back into the tank by releasing the disc. Slowly pull up the assembly out of the tank and the float will back down into the tank. This will let you take out the assembly from the tank. Immediately place the gauge and assembly into the garbage bag for disposal. Use the paper towels to wipe up any oil that spills out.

Step 4: Install your New Gauge

Whether you are replacing the old float with a new float or a smart oil gauge, we’ll have to go through this process again in reverse. However, we’ll first need to wipe the fitting on the top of the tank clean and apply some pipe dope to the new gauge.

Mark the fitting of the tank to indicate which direction the arm should fall once the assembly is in the tank. Additionally, it is important to make sure that float doesn’t hit the inner wall. To prevent that, you can extend the float into the open area of the tank.

Slowly lower the float into the tank until the two fittings connect. Then, gently lift the disc up to lift the bobber out of the oil. After doing that, you can tighten the assembly as far as it can go.

Continue to slowly lift up the disc, and slowly tighten it until it’s snug. You can stop tightening when the arm is positioned properly in the tank. Once the gauge is securely attached to the tank, you can begin to secure the vial into place and you should be all set!

You should mark the interior of the fitting with a marker to indicate which direction the float gauge’s arm extends. You’ll then need to tighten the gauge in that direction.

The Smart Oil Gauge

If you are unsatisfied with your manual float gauge, then the smart oil gauge is a fantastic replacement! It’s super simple to install and can read your tank’s level wirelessly with it’s ultrasonic sensor. The smart oil gauge will send a signal down to the oil level and then back up to the gauge! Then, based on what type of tank your gauge is configured to, it will tell you the reading of how many gallons are in the tank!

You can even use the smart oil gauge alongside the float gauge if you’d like the best of both worlds! You’ll easily be able to thread it onto an extra fitting on the top of your tank. All you have to is apply a thin layer of pipe dope onto the gauge’s threads and tighten it into the tank with a pipe wrench! If you have the smart oil gauge app downloaded onto your phone, then you’ll be able to check your level and readings from wherever you are! You can check out this video here if you need help installing the smart oil gauge!

Installing a WIFI heating gauge such as the smart oil gauge, is safer and cleaner alternative. It will also be more reliable with determining your oil level.

Conclusion

To read your new float gauge, simply just monitor where the disc rests inside the plastic vial. Doing so will allow you to monitor your oil level. However, be aware that overtime you will have to replace the gauge again.

If you decide to go with a smart oil gauge as your new gauge, then you just have to simply ensure that you configure it under the right tank size. Additionally, make sure that you’ve set up your alerts so that you are notified when you need a fill! That way you can stay on top of your oil level and ensure that you’re not running out on oil anytime soon!

Be sure to check on our FuelSnap website for the most up to date and lowest prices for heating oil in your area! This will make sure that you are getting the best deal on heating oil!

Happy Heating,

Hunter

What To Do If You Run Out of Heating Oil

June 7, 2023June 2, 2023

If you wake up one morning during the summer with no hot water, or in the middle of the winter season with no heat, you might have run out of heating oil! Don’t freak out, there are plenty of steps you can take to to fix this and you’ll have heat and hot water in now time! In this article, we will go over several steps to ensure that you get your heat and hot water back on as soon as possible!

In this article, we’ll cover the following process if you’ve run out of oil:

Make sure that you’re definitely out of heating oil.
Schedule an Oil Delivery! Call your local dealer, or order from our FuelSnap website!
Put 5 to 10 gallons of diesel fuel into your oil tank. This will hold you over until your delivery arrives
Give your burner a quick restart by pressing the restart button

Make Sure that You are Definitely out of Heating Oil

There are numerous different reasonings for a failure in your home’s heating oil system. Because of this, running out of fuel isn’t always the reason. If you are suspicious that you are out of oil, head down to your tank to check.

A majority of fuel tanks are supplied with a float gauge. This particular gauge uses a bobber that measures the level of oil in your tank. It normally gives a general indication of how much oil is in your tank. Inside the float’s clear top, you should see a colorful disc. Unscrew the gauge’s clear top, and take a look at the disc. Gently press on it to see how it reacts. If the disc slowly returns to normal, you likely have oil in your tank. Alternatively, if the disc doesn’t return to normal, then you are likely out of oil. If you do in fact have oil in your tank, you can skip to step 4.

This is an example of what the float gauge looks like. The little disc indicates what the tank’s estimated oil level is. However, sometimes the float can get bogged down by sludge, resulting in inaccurate readings.

Schedule an Oil Delivery

After you’ve determined that you have no oil in the tank, it is important that you order oil as soon as possible! You can access pricing and local dealers in your area from our FuelSnap website. By typing in your zip code, you’ll be able to see what your local dealers are charging for oil. Additionally, our oil delivery service doesn’t charge any emergency fees! So you can order whenever you are running low and a local dealer will come deliver based upon their availability!

After you’ve placed an order on FuelSnap, you will receive a confirmation email. The confirmation email contains useful information such as the dealer’s number, the order receipt and even the estimated delivery time! If you want an exact date or time, feel free to contact the dealer! They’ll be able to give you an estimated time of when they will come deliver!

Add 5 to 10 Gallons of Diesel into your Tank

When you run out of oil, you can always head to the gas station and pick up some diesel. This is because diesel and heating oil are nearly identical (despite some dye being added to heating oil). Although it should only be used temporarily, your heating oil system will be able to burn diesel fuel just fine!

Start off by buying a yellow jug from your local gas station. Fill up the jug with about 5 to 10 gallons of diesel fuel. This should get you through the night and keep you warm. If you need to go back to the gas station the next day to get more, then that’s perfectly fine! We recommend getting around 10 gallons just to be on the safe side!

Remember, diesel fuel can be used in an emergency situation. However, as a long term solution to heating oil it is ineffective.

Give Your Burner a Quick Restart

Finally, it is best to check your oil burner. The reason for this is because the issue might not be in your tank but in your burner. If you have oil in your tank and you wake up to a cold house, you likely have a problem with your heating system. Sometimes a faulty starter can cause your burner to turn off, even if you have oil in your tank. Alternatively, you can also have a clog in your feed lines that could be preventing your furnace from taking oil from your tank.

If you had to put diesel fuel into your tank, then it is best to restart your burner ASAP. This is because your furnace was deprived of fuel oil and needs to be reset. In the system shown in the below image, you will see the reset button. Press the burners reset button and after about fifteen seconds or so, you should hear the system kick on. It will either stay on, or turn back off.

If it turns back off, you will need to bleed some air out of the lines (Do not Attempt this if you are not mechanically proficient. It is best to contact an HVAC technician). After bleeding the lines, press the reset button one more time to see if that keeps it going. Don’t press the reset button more than 2 to 3 times. If at this point your system isn’t turning back on, you will need to contact an HVAC technician to examine your burner.

Checking your Burner is very important in ensuring that your furnace is working as intended! Press the reset button if you need to reset it!

Conclusion

Running out of heating oil is not enjoyable by any means. In a best case-scenario you will simply need to order oil and run out to the gas station to grab some diesel. If you go to our FuelSnap website, you can order oil straight from there! We offer fast delivery and the lowest prices in your area guaranteed!

However, you could be a part of the unfortunate few where the issue lies within the burner. The burner could’ve sucked up some sludge which could be causing a clog. Or you could be experiencing an issue with the furnace itself. If this is your situation, contact an HVAC technician as soon as possible!

The best way to prevent this in the future is with the purchase of a Smart Oil Gauge! The smart oil gauge will take an accurate reading of your tank’s level and it will upload that to our servers! You’ll see the current reading of your tank’s oil level and this can be accessed from anywhere. You’ll even receive push notifications, emails and text messages to ensure you know your tanks level! The Smart Oil Gauge app even allows you to order from our FuelSnap website right through the app! With the use of the smart oil gauge, you’ll be able to order oil before you run out!

Happy Heating,

Hunter