Heating Your Home With Oil

Heating oil is a good solution to keep your home warm and cozy during the winter if natural gas or a heat pump are not viable options in your area.

In colder climates, where solar can’t be used to lower electricity bills, natural gas is not available and other heating sources would be more expensive to install (propane), heating oil is the affordable option to keep your home heated throughout the year.

Oil Furnace and Oil Tank

The oil furnace used in the house can be new or used, but in both cases you have to keep it clean all the time (you have to clean the furnace at least every two years) to remove all the rust, combustion byproducts and other debris that could reduce its efficiency over time.

You don’t want to have an oil furnace that works at reduced capacity and burns additional fuel to keep your home heated, and all this, just because you forgot to perform the annual cleaning service for your furnace.

A 275 gallon steel tank to store heating oil.

The oil tank (in some houses sits in the basement) should be a common 275 gallon tank made of steel.

Why You Should Never Let Your Home Heating Oil Level Run Low In The Oil Tank?

If you rely on heating oil to heat your home, and you have a boiler that heats up the water and the oil tank in the basement, you should never let the level of the heating oil in the tank go so low that is close to empty.

When the level of the heating oil in the tank reaches almost the bottom of the tank, the furnace will suck up mostly debris, gross oil, and other stuff (sludge) that settles on the bottom of the tank over time.

Due to the presence of the debris, the tank can clog or the debris can reach the filter and start causing problems.
In some cases, a tiny piece of debris can even block the nozzle of the burner, which will shut down the furnace right away.

Another problem that could occur when the level of the oil in the tank is very low, is when the oil guy comes to fill your tank, and because the level is so low in the tank, the new oil that enters the tank creates an air pocket in the supply line that shuts off the furnace.

In this case, you have to start purging the oil from the tank until you get the flow of oil to go back through again.

Always keep an eye on your gauge, because you really don’t want your tank to go completely empty because you will have no heat and many problems with the furnace.

It’s generally recommended to keep at least a quarter of a tank of heating oil, so you don’t have to worry about the gallons.

A good position for your gauge would be between 1/2 and 3/4, and always check the tank before calling for help if the furnace stops working.

An oil delivery company must provide you with high-quality and affordable home heating oil.

Besides oil delivery, the company also offers furnace, boiler, hot water heater repairs, and also central air conditioning system (A/C) repairs, maintenance and new installation services.

Conclusion

If oil is the only source of heating in your area, use it wisely and try to follow the tips above to avoid any unwanted problems with the furnace that could not only consume more fuel, but also your money on unnecessary repairs.