Questions



Sometimes a little information can add calm to your life. Here are a few questions we commonly hear along with some explanations to help you understand your heating system



How Often Do I Need To Order Oil ?



Ideally you would order oil when your gauge shows 1/4 tank full for a 275 or 330 gallon tanks Each house is unique on oil consumption due to the size of the house, number of occupants, insulation factor of the house and whether the hot water is being heated with your heating unit. If you don’t have any prior information as to how much oil you use, we like to start with the “average house”. The “average house” during the middle of the winter will burn approximately 5 gallons a day and 1 gallon for hot water. Check your tank every 3 weeks during the winter to prevent running out.



How much oil is in my above ground tank ?



Most customers have a 275 gallon tank that are 5 ft in length,-(slightly larger 330 gallons tanks can measure 6ft in length). Most gauges give an accurate reading of how much oil is in your tank. Below is an estimation of your gauge reading converted into gallons. There are manufacturer differences in tanks so these numbers are approximations.

275 tank 330 tank

• 1/8 = 30 gals 1/8 = 37 gals

• 1/4 = 60 gals 1/4 = 75 gals

• 3/8 = 95 gals 3/8 = 111 gals

• 1/2 = 125 gals 1/2 = 150 gals

• 5/8 = 165 gals 5/8 = 185 gals

• 3/4 = 190 gals 3/4 = 225 gals

• 7/8 = 230 gals 7/8 = 259 gals

• “full” = 250 gals "full" = 300 gals


Please note that tanks that lay on their sides-commonly referred to as “Belly Tanks” have a small variation in gauge estimations.


** A true way to determine the exact amount of fuel in any tank (above or below ground) is to use an oil measure stick and tank chart.


Tank Chart

Something seems to be off with my gauge or the size of my tank.



Think of a tank in terms of a cup and straw. If the straw reaches to the bottom of your cup you have full use of all the liquid. In most cases, the fuel supply line-(straw) is pulled up off the bottom of your tank so you do not pull in any sludge or contaminants into your heating system or they are unknowingly pulled too high in the tank. A service technician can help resolve this issue by either resetting the supply lines or cleaning out the tank and removing the sludge.



What other options are available?



1) Fossil Fuel Oil has an auto fill program priced 3 cents lower than the posted price with state of the art software that uses a “degree day” system that you can sign up for. This alleviates the hassle of measuring your tank or worrying when to get your next oil delivery .


2) Products such as "Smart Oil Gauge" from Amazon can be linked to your smart phone or “The Rocket" can be installed for a minimal cost to above-ground tanks. The monitor plugs into any household outlet and will alert you when you are getting low on oil.



How often should I get my heating system serviced ?



Ideally you should have your heating system serviced once a year. Without this routine maintenance, oil by-products called “soot” can build up over time and cause your system to stop working. Cleaning the system once a year will prevent any problems and keep your unit running efficiently. TIP: Spring and summer are good times to schedule this routine maintenance. The technician can devote more quality time to your system without having to rush on to an “emergency no heat call”.



Winterizing additives, What are they?



Oil tanks/oil lines, that are exposed to extreme cold-(generally outside tanks) can gell up in due to the natural paraffin contained in heating oil. You can reduce the chances of this with the winterizing protection. Most additives will also help with breaking up any sludge that has accumulated inside your tank. Additives can be bought from your heating oil dealer or at most plumbing supply retailers. Kerosene can also help change the pour point of heating oil to aid in anti gelling by adding it to you heating oil tank.





973-366-9111
973-366-5592 fax
customerservice@fossilfueloil.com