It can be hard to stay mindful of your furnace and make sure you’re keeping your oil topped up, so here are some tips to make sure you don’t find yourself without heat this coming winter.
You may be asking why it’s important to make sure your tank doesn’t reach empty in the first place. One reason is the added expense. Oil prices tend to be higher during winter, so if you run out during a cold snap it’s going to be a hit on your budget to fill up a whole tank. Regularly topping up your tank throughout the winter or making sure you have a full tank before the heating season starts will make the cost a little easier to bear.
Another reason to keep your tank from going empty is to prevent sludge from clogging the supply lines. Sludge and debris are common to find in most tanks but generally, it sits at the bottom and doesn’t cause many issues. When the tank is empty the sludge is more likely to get pulled into the supply lines causing issues that will need an experienced technician to fix.
So how can you make sure to keep your fuel tank full?
Automatic Delivery is a service that most heating fuel companies offer that uses data from your previous heating seasons to determine when you’ll most likely need a fuel top up and schedules deliveries accordingly. You can read about how West Nova Fuels and Superline Fuels works this magic on our blog post about Degree Days.
If you enjoy playing with the latest technology you could look at investing in a smart meter, a sensor that attaches to your oil tank and will send information to your smartphone or computer. You can set up notifications or alerts to let you know well in advance when it’s time to put in a delivery order.
For those less tech-savy a local meter can work just as well allowing you to easily check on your tank level on the monitor. They can also be set up to send an alert when your tank is getting low.
The most basic option is attaching an alert system to the gauge on your oil tank that will beep or flash when you’re in need of topping up.
Whichever option you choose you’ll have peace of mind knowing that your heating fuel won’t run out this winter. That’s one less thing to worry about as we all go about our busy lives!