Is It Time for A Heating Oil Delivery?

How to Know

If you run out of heating oil on a cold day, it’s more than an inconvenience. A house with no heat can be dangerous depending on the temperatures. You don’t want to get caught waiting for more oil to be delivered to have a warm home and hot water. In addition, letting your tank run down to empty can also cause debris to clog your oil filters. That can reduce the efficiency of your heating system and even cause it to fail. Finally, water can collect in an empty tank and cause it to rust. A rusty oil tank can cause your heating system to fail.

Winter in the Hudson Valley can be harsh. Colder days mean your heating system needs to work harder to keep you and your family comfortable. It also means your heating oil consumption can increase sharply when there’s a cold snap. Because of how important it is to avoid having an empty oil tank, it’s also important that you know when it’s time for a heating oil delivery. So let’s review how to read your oil tank’s gauge.

Reading Your Oil Tank Gauge

To make sure you have enough oil in the tank, follow the steps below to read your oil tank gauge:

1. Look for a clear glass or plastic cylinder near the top of the tank. It will look a lot like your car’s fuel gauge with the following symbols: F, ¾, ½, and ¼. There should be a red marker or float indicating the tank’s fuel level. If it’s not visible, your tank is either empty or practically empty.
2. Make sure the gauge is working properly. Remove the outer case and gently press down on the float. It should bob back up to where it was. If it doesn’t, the gauge is malfunctioning, and you should call for service.
3. When your gauge gets close to ¼, it’s time to order more fuel. Keep in mind that the colder it gets and the larger your home is, the faster your heating system will go through oil. Make sure you check your gauge regularly (and more frequently as the temperatures drop).

Automatic Heating Oil Delivery

If you’d prefer to never again have to wonder if it’s time for a heating oil delivery, sign up for automatic delivery with Valley Oil. It’s one of the best ways to avoid running out of heating oil. Using an industry-proven calculation, we’ll estimate your needs based on the volume of fuel you have used in the past and the current temperatures. Then, we’ll schedule deliveries so we can ensure you don’t run out of fuel. Our drivers generally arrive when there is still plenty of fuel in the tank, so there should be no worries about running out.

Choose Valley Oil for Your Heating Oil

When you’re a Valley Oil customer, you get top-quality heating oil delivered to your home at the best prices available in the Hudson Valley. Value is high on our list, so we’re committed to offering a heating oil product that won’t overwhelm your budget. We also add value for our customers by offering a budget plan, price protection, and reliable automatic delivery.

Valley Oil is here to help our customers pay less and smile more. Contact us today to sign up for automatic delivery or to learn more about our heating oil services.