If your home or business relies on heating oil for warmth and hot water, it is crucial that you carefully monitor your oil levels over the colder winter period. It is our recommendation that our customers check the level of oil in their fuel storage tanks once a week during the autumn and winter time, increasing from monthly during the summer.
There is a risk of unexpectedly running out of fuel if you do not know how much heating oil you have in your tank. Monitoring your oil levels will reduce your chances of running dry. This is important throughout the year but especially during the winter, when our delivery schedules will be at their busiest.
Don’t risk being left in the cold, order before your oil level gets too low:
Severe weather conditions could impact our ability to delivery, for instance if there is difficult access due to closed roads and wintery conditions. Ensuring your tank is kept topped up and ordering in plenty of time will reduce your chances of running dry should this happen. We also expect our delivery times to increase over the winter season, particularly in the lead up to the Christmas and New Year period. Running out of oil during our busiest time of year could mean you have to wait longer for a delivery and risk being left without heating during the colder weather. Ordering before your oil level gets too low, means we will have time to deliver to you, as we anticipate our delivery lead time to increase during winter.
We recommend you order a fill of your tank as early as possible, so long as you can afford to do so. If you cannot or would prefer not to order a fill, we would ask that you place an order when your tank is nearing its final ¼ of oil. This should ensure you have enough oil to last you until we can make a delivery to you during our busiest time. We also recommend that you do not allow your oil level to fall below 12inches from the bottom of the tank.
Running out of oil, could also leave you out of pocket:
Letting your heating oil levels run low or even dry could have serious implications for your boiler and heating system. Running out of heating oil often means you will need to pay for an emergency breakdown visit by a boiler engineer to safely bleed the fuel lines and restart your boiler. This is not only an inconvenience but could be costly should the breakdown happen at a weekend, or even over the festive period. This can be caused by the disturbance of sludge at the bottom of the tank when oil is delivered if the level in the tank is too low or empty. This can result in a blockage of the filters, which would need to be rectified by a qualified OFTEC engineer.
It’s important to check your oil level if you’re part of our top-up service too:
We do recommend that you regularly check your oil levels, even if you are part of our heating oil top-up service. The service works by scheduling deliveries to fill your fuel storage tank at intervals throughout the year based on your oil usage from the year before.
Working with us by checking your oil level regularly will mean that we can adjust your oil deliveries to ensure we are delivering when you need oil. Factors such as the weather or a change in personal circumstances could mean that your oil consumption increases or decreases. If you find you are using more oil than anticipated and would need a delivery sooner than we’ve scheduled, or if you think you aren’t using as much oil and won’t need a delivery until later in the year, simply let us know and we can re-arrange your delivery.
How do I check the level of heating oil in my storage tank?
There are three common methods for measuring the level of heating oil in your fuel storage tank:
Remote tank monitoring system
A remote tank monitoring system is the easiest way to check the oil level in your tank. A device is fitted to the tank by an engineer and sends an accurate reading of the oil level to your computer, laptop or smart phone, or to a digital monitor inside your house, by using ultra-sonic waves to measure the volume of oil in the tank.
Both types of remote tank monitoring system are available to purchase from our boiler maintenance department. Purchase price includes free installation and calibration by one of our qualified OFTEC engineers. Learn more about the Watchman Anywhere or Watchman Sonic remote oil tank monitoring devices.
Dipstick
Using a dipstick is a traditional, manual method of measuring the oil content in your fuel tank. It is recommended that a straight measuring stick is used. It is then dipped into the tank, and shows the level of oil in the tank, in the same way you would use the engine oil dipstick on your car.
Sight Gauge
Most fuel storage tanks are fitted with a clear plastic tube on the side. This tube is known as a sight gauge or is sometimes called a water gauge. The level of oil in the tank is visible through the clear plastic tube. This method is not always accurate as overtime the tube may become discoloured making it hard to accurately read the oil level.
It is also helpful to know the capacity of oil your tank can hold. Most fuel storage tanks have a label on them which states the capacity of the tank. If you let us know the capacity of your tank, we can keep a note of this on your account, and this will help us to estimate the quantity of fuel you will take the next time you order a fill of your tank.
Home is where the heat is.... #WinterReadyandWarm
Under our #WinterReadyandWarm campaign, we will be sharing some of our top-tips and advice for winter heating oil with our customers over the next few months.
Our Guide to Winter Heating Oil contains all the essential information you need to know as a heating oil customer preparing for the colder weather ahead.
For more information, and to view & download our Guide to Winter Heating Oil, visit our Winter Heating Oil page
