When Should You Order More Heating Oil?
If heating oil is an essential part of keeping your home warm, running out is not an option. Keeping tabs on how much heating oil you have and when you need to order will avoid emergency refills and unnecessary wear on your heating system. Running out of oil can cause sediment from the bottom the tank to get into the fuel lines and will cause future issues. To avoid these problems, keep reading on knowing when to order more heating oil.
Learn How to Read Your Heating Oil Tank Gauge
To understand when to order heating oil, first, let’s discuss how to read your heating oil tank gauge. Most heating oil tanks use a standard float-style gauge to estimate your fuel level. The float-style gauge uses an arm within the tank and a float with a plastic vial above the tank. The plastic vial has a disk that shows the fuel level reading. As the float in the gauge lowers, so does the disk.
To read the float gauge, there are tick marks that typically indicate Full, ¾, ½, and ¼. Note that once the tank reads below ¼ full, it is not very accurate because of the nature of the rounded bottom of the gauge. If your tank reads ¼ full, it is time to order fuel.
To estimate the amount of actual fuel in the tank, you can use this sample equation. For example, if you have a 275 gallon tank, and your tank is approximately ¼ full, you would multiply 275 X .25 which equals 68.75 gallons left in the tank. Total tank capacity X percent full = gallons left in tank.* Foster Fuels recommends only filling your tank to 90% due to fuel expansion during warm temperatures as you see in the grid below where it states 240 gallons is full.
Below is a grid to show how much oil you have and how much is needed to fill your tank based on a 275 vertical gallon tank.*
*Note that these are approximations and estimates. Your fuel gauge is not 100% accurate and leaves room for error.
Check and Consider the Weather
Something to consider if you are running low on oil per your tank gauge, it is important to consider the weather and temperature. If the temperature outside is cold, or it’s a windy day, this will increase your oil usage. In the winter, you will use more and, in the summer, you will use less. If your tank says ¼ full and it is winter, you need to order now. Winter months are considered the “high demand” period, and it is important to order as soon as possible to not delay your fill.
Other things to consider regarding the weather are how high you set the thermostat, insulation of your home, and your system’s efficiency.
AutoFill & Maintenance Options
At Foster Fuels, we believe home comfort should be seamless. Whether your home’s oil tank is full isn’t something you should have to worry about. Have you ever run out of heating oil and called your heating oil supplier, only to learn there will be a three-day wait for a refill? With our auto-fill service, our drivers will check your tank regularly and ensure you have enough oil at all times, billing only for what you need. This is an ideal choice for busy families who need the reliability of constant fuel without constantly monitoring their tank and calling to place each order.
This takes the work out of reading the gauge and guessing how much fuel you have left. Sign up for AutoFill to take one less thing off your plate.
In addition to efficient home oil delivery service, Foster Fuels offers all the services you need to maintain your fuel tank properly. We can perform periodic tank polishing to ensure no impurities are affecting the performance of your furnace as well as other regular maintenance tasks. Foster Fuels recommends fuel polishing every 3 years to ensure the tank stays clean and dry. We can provide new home installations, gas line repairs, troubleshooting, and more.
Emergency Situations
Both monitoring your fuel level and signing up for AutoFill will eliminate emergency situations or costs you could incur if you need an emergency fill. AutoFill will set you on a schedule and you’ll never run out.
Conclusion
A good rule of thumb is to order heating oil when your tank reads ¼ full. This will give time to receive and deliver during high demand times, with fuel to spare in your tank. Foster will take care of your heating oil needs through our AutoFill and maintenance programs and make sure your home stays warm. Contact Foster Fuels today to order your next delivery.