How to Read a Heating Oil Tank Gauge

Posted: September 7, 2022

Never worry about your oil supply with Automatic Delivery!

checking heating oil maineIf you use Will-Call for your heating oil delivery, you need to regularly check how much oil is in your heating oil tank, so you know when to request a delivery.

The gauge is usually located on top of the tank. It’s a clear glass or plastic tube marked with numbers that look like the gas gauge in your car: F, ¾, ½, ¼. A red marker or float indicates how much fuel is left in your tank. If the float is at or near the bottom of the gauge, or not visible at all, your tank is empty or almost empty. Contact us immediately to schedule an emergency delivery.
 
If outdoor temperatures average 32˚ Fahrenheit over a 24-hour period, a 2,500-square-foot house uses about seven gallons of heating oil. If you let your 275-gallon heating oil tank (the size of most residential oil tanks) get down to 25% full, you have enough heating oil for perhaps a week.

It might take a few days for us to get a delivery to your home. Thus, it is essential that you request a delivery before your tank gauge falls below ¼ full.

What happens if I run out of heating oil?

If you’re out of heating oil, your furnace or boiler will shut down and your house will quickly become cold. The longer it goes on, you’re at risk for your home becoming dangerously cold and frozen pipes.
A heating oil run-out can also harm your heating system. Heating oil sludge might be drawn from the bottom of your heating oil tank, which can clog the oil filter and damage the oil line. On top of the fee for emergency heating oil delivery, you may also need to pay to have the oil line bled and the oil filter replaced.

Automatic Delivery makes having heating oil easy as pie!

At Murray-Heutz, we use the latest technology and a tried-and-true method of calculation to accurately predict when you will need more heating oil. Our computer algorithms use your heating oil usage history, real-time temperatures, and weather patterns to calculate when your tank will be 30% full.
We use that data to schedule your heating oil delivery, so you’ll have a full tank before you run low. You don’t have to do a thing! No more going down to the cellar or outside into the cold and snow to check your tank gauge. No more having to contact us to request a delivery. No more panic when you realize you forgot to check the tank gauge.

We use your past fuel consumption as part of our calculations for Automatic Delivery, so it is important that you let us know of any event which would change how much heating oil you use. Examples of this include:

Become a Murray-Heutz Automatic Delivery customer for hassle-free, worry-free heating oil delivery!