Running Out of Heating Oil: What to Expect and How to Prevent It

Staying on Top of Your Fuel Supply is So Important

One thing that pretty much every homeowner here in Southeastern Massachusetts who uses heating oil to heat their home has in common is that none of them wants to run out of fuel in the dead of winter. Running out of heating oil entirely will cause a huge hassle and headache for anyone, not to mention a whole slew of other problems that are best avoided whenever possible.

What Will Happen If You Run Out of Heating Oil

All sorts of things can happen to both your home and your heating system if you get too low or run out of heating oil.

First and foremost (and perhaps very obviously), you will very likely be cold and uncomfortable since your home will no longer have any heat. In fact, your furnace will shut off once you run out of fuel as a way to protect itself against damage.

Not only will you and anyone else living in your home face challenges without heating oil, but your home heating system will as well.

You could start to hear grumbling in your filters, oil pumps and oil lines.

Nozzles and oil filters can get clogged with sediment and that sediment can decrease your heating system’s efficiency and lead to some fairly serious damage if it gets into your home’s furnace.

A close to empty heating oil tank is vulnerable to condensation building up on its interior walls, which is an ideal breeding ground for bacterial growth. The bacteria can turn what is left of your heating oil into non-working sludge. That same condensation can create cause your tank to rust and corrode.

Your system’s feed line can draw in sediment and impurities and if this starts to accumulate on the bottom of your heating oil tank your system’s filters can become clogged.

None of the above issues is anything that any homeowner wants to deal with so it is best to keep an adequate supply of heating oil on hand at all times.

What Homeowners Should Do to Stay on Top of Their Heating Oil Supply

Here are some preventative measures homeowners can (and really should) take to prevent running out of heating oil:

• Order your heating oil in the spring or summer instead of waiting until it gets cold. Fuel prices tend to be lower when the weather is warmer, which is a good incentive to place your order far in advance. You will also have more time to schedule a delivery without having to worry about your heating oil provider being too busy to get you your fuel.
• Have an idea of how much heating oil you will go through each winter (check records of your previous fuel orders for this information).
• Contact your heating oil supplier for your next delivery when your tank is about a quarter full.

W.H. Riley & Son Has Heating Oil That Will Keep You Warm All Winter Long

If you are a homeowner who is looking for reliable heating oil service in and near Bristol County, look no further than W.H. Riley & Son. We can also help you prevent a fuel run-out with our Automatic Delivery Plan.

Contact W.H. Riley today to start working with a dependable full-service heating oil provider.