Written on: August 12, 2024
When “back to school” ads start filling your feeds, you know it’s probably about time to start thinking about heating oil. with cold whether on the horizon, you might want to know how much oil your heating oil tank can hold, and how many deliveries you might need over the course of the winter.
Most homes in our area have a 275-gallon capacity heating oil tank, which is the typical size needed to heat a 2,000-square-foot home in our area, but it really depends on the size of your home. Other common tank sizes are 340 and 420 gallons. Not sure what size your tank you have? You should be able to find the size on the side of your tank, although older models may not include that information. We should be able to confirm the size based on your service records if you’ve been a customer for any length of time.
It’s important to know that when we “fill” your tank, we don’t fill it to its official capacity. The reason is safety: It’s important to leave space in the tank for the oil to expand as it warms up. There also needs to be room for air in the tank, as well as debris and sludge that settles at the bottom of the tank.
What that means for you is that a 275-gallon tank is usually filled to about 225 gallons. So if the gauge on your 275-gallon tank reads half full, you actually have about 110 gallons left. That’s important if you prefer to call for your heating oil deliveries. You need to keep an eye on your tank gauge—and also be aware of the weather. When we have a stretch of extreme cold, like we saw in January, you’ll use more heating oil than you would under normal conditions.
As a general rule of thumb, a heating system that’s running efficiently should use between 0.8 and 1.7 gallons of oil per hour during cold weather. That’s about 20 gallons per day if your thermostat is set at a constant temperature. Using a smart thermostat will help you use less fuel, because it will adjust to a lower temperatures when you are out or asleep, and a higher when you are home and awake.
Another way to estimate your daily heating oil use is to look at past consumption. If you have a 275-gallon heating oil tank, a full tank should give you enough heating fuel to last between 4 to 6 weeks.
Of course, if you’re signed up for our automatic delivery service, you don’t need to worry about fill-ups or runouts, because we take care of scheduling your heating oil deliveries.
Knowing how to read your oil tank gauge is a good skill to have, even if you are enrolled in our automatic delivery service. It’s as easy as reading the gas gauge on your car.
The heating oil tank gauge is a clear glass or plastic cube marked F, ¾, ½, ¼, with a red indicator that shows the amount of fuel left in your tank. If the marker is at the bottom of the gauge or not visible at all, your tank may be empty.
If you think there’s a problem with your gauge, give us a call.
We understand you’ve got a lot of choices when it comes to heating oil dealers. There’s a reason so many of your neighbors in Litchfield County choose Marandola. We’ve got you covered with convenient services (like automatic delivery—and so much more!) that give you real value, not just a cheap price per gallon.
Contact us today to learn more and become a customer.