Running dry of home heating oil is inconvenient at the best of times, even more so if it happens during the colder winter months when you are reliant on it to keep your household warm. You could accidentally run out of heating oil if you aren’t regularly checking the level of heating oil in your storage tank. You could also run dry through no fault of your own, for instance if you suffer a fuel theft, luckily though these are rare.
Steps to take should you run dry of heating oil:
So the worst has happened; your boiler won’t start and you’ve no heating or hot water. In this situation, Gleaner recommends following the steps below.
1) Confirm you have run out of heating oil
It may seem obvious but it is always beneficial to confirm that you have run out of home heating oil by taking a manual dip of your fuel storage tank. In some instances it may be that a fault with the boiler or fuel lines from the storage tank are causing the problem. Confirming that you have run dry of heating oil will ensure you can get your household heating up and running again as quickly as possible, without further delays.
2) Place a Heating oil order with your supplier as soon as possible
It is important that you place an order with your fuel supplier as soon as you can. The winter period and in particular the lead up to the festive Christmas and New Year time will be the busiest for oil deliveries. During this time it is expected that delivery lead times will increase. When you place your order you should ensure your supplier is aware that you are dry of heating oil so they can mark your order as urgent.
3) Consider purchasing a 20 litre drum of heating oil
Over the colder months you may be able to purchase 20 litres drums of Kerosene heating oil from your heating oil supplier. It may be the case that a drum (or a few drums) are enough to start your heating system again and get some warmth back in to your house, whilst you wait for a heating oil delivery from your supplier. You might also consider purchasing a 20 litres drum if you are waiting for a winter oil delivery and think you may run dry before this can be made.
20 litre drums are available to purchase from most (but not all) Gleaner depots. If you are interested in purchasing a drum we do recommend contacting your local delivery depot for availability and pricing.
4) Be mindful that you may require an engineer to re-start your boiler
In some cases the boiler may not restart once you have received a delivery of heating oil. Usually this is caused by clogged filters and fuel lines, rather than damage to the boiler. Most oil boilers are fitted with a safety mechanism which will turn off the burner to prevent damage in the event that there is no oil to combust. Before this can happen however the naturally occurring sludge and dirt in the bottom of the storage tank can be dragged into the fuel lines and filters. Should this happen you would require a call out by an OFTEC registered engineer to clean the lines and filters, and restart your boiler.
5) Consider your heating oil level monitoring routine
If you have run dry of heating oil accidentally, it may be worthwhile putting in place a regular oil monitoring routine
It is always recommended that through the colder weather in Autumn and Winter, you check your heating oil level at least once a week. This is the best way to prevent running accidentally dry of heating oil. By knowing how much oil is left in you tank means you will know when to place an order, it is advisable not to let your tank fall below 12 inches from the bottom. To allow sufficient time for a delivery to made to you during the busy winter period you should place an order before your tank reaches the final ¼ of oil.
Installing an electronic oil monitoring gauge may make it easier to see the level of oil in your storage tank. Both Watchman Sonic and Watchman Anywhere devices can be purchased from Gleaners Boiler Maintenance team and will be fully installed and set up by an OFTEC engineer.
Joining a top-up scheme with your supplier may also be a useful option to help you manage your oil supply, reducing the chances that you will accidentally run dry.
Read more about the importance of monitoring your oil levels over winter
