How to read an oil tank gauge

Winter is here, and colder weather has come to Nassau & Suffolk County, Long Island. This is the time of year when you depend most on your oil tank to supply the heat you need to keep you and your family warm. Knowing how to read your oil tank gauge is one of the most valuable skills you can have when it comes to maintaining your home comfort. When you know how to properly read your oil tank gauge, your likelihood of a heating fuel runout or a no-heat emergency greatly decreases. Keep reading to learn the steps on how to read your oil tank gauge.

3 Steps for Reading Your Oil Tank Gauge

Hopefully, you are familiar enough with your oil tank that you know how to read your gauge, but if not, don’t fret. We’re going to walk you through the steps! Reading your gauge is a quick and simple task that anyone can do, so there is no need at all to be intimidated. Reading your gauge is actually really easy.

1. Take a trip to your fuel storage tank. Most oil tanks are in basements, but yours might be outside. If it is outside, be sure to clear away snow and debris from the top of the tank.
2. On the top or side of the tank, there is a small glass cylinder or dial. This is your oil tank gauge, and it will show a marker of how full your tank is. It can be at any of the following levels: Full, ¾, ½, ¼, or Empty. A helpful tip to know is that reading your fuel oil tank gauge is just like reading your car’s gas gauge.
3. You will want to order oil when your tank gauge reads ¼ full. Deliveries can take a few days, so don’t wait any longer.

Avoiding a Fuel Runout in Suffolk or Nassau County, Long Island

Ordering fuel when your tank is at 25% is important to avoid a no-heat emergency. Running out of fuel can be costly and can seriously damage your heating system. When you go to order fuel, make sure to take into consideration the weather and other circumstances that may delay your delivery or cause you to use extra fuel. In the winter, heavy snowstorms and extremely cold weather can cause your heating system to run longer, using more fuel than expected; plus, snow and ice may block roadways, delaying your delivery. Always be sure to order fuel in advance so that you can get your deliveries on time.

We hope these tips help get you through the winter and are useful for years to come. When you’re ready to place an oil delivery order, you can do so easily on our website. We are wishing you a happy holiday season and a comfortable winter. If you have any questions about reading your tank gauge, just contact us.

If you’re new to home heating oil, you may be wondering how to read an oil tank gauge. Or for that matter, how much oil does a heating oil tank even hold? In this post we’ll break down the different types of oil tank gauges and how to read them.

Types of Heating Oil Tanks

Home heating oil, like propane, is a ‘delivered fuel’. This means it must be delivered to your house on a truck, rather than supplied directly to your house like natural gas or electricity. As a result, you must store heating oil in a holding tank at the house.

Heating oil tanks can be found indoors in a garage or basement (most common), outdoors just outside the house (less common), or even buried under the ground (least common). Indoors is the best place for a heating oil tank because it is safe from the elements. Just imagine what rain, sun and snow can do to a steel tank over time. An indoors location will shield the tank, and make any leaks or issues easy to spot.

Buried Tanks

Buried oil tanks are less common today than they once were. The problem with buried tanks is they can leak over time without anyone knowing. This can make for a very expensive removal and remediation process. Once a buried tank reaches 30 years of age, it is recommended to have it removed and replaced with an above-ground tank, preferably indoors.

Above-Ground Tanks

Above-ground tanks are much preferred to buried tanks. Detect leaks faster and be proactive with your tank maintenance with an above-ground tank.

Types of Tank Gauges

Above-ground heating oil tanks typically have a float gauge up top. A float gauge relies on an arm with a floating end to it (picture a cork) that moves up and down with the oil in the tank.

Smart Oil Gauge

A much more precise way to measure your heating oil tank is by using an ultrasonic sensor such as that found in a Smart Oil Gauge. With the exception of the top 8″ of the tank, the Smart Oil Gauge will provide readings within a few gallons in your tank.

To check your heating oil level with the Smart Oil Gauge, simply open the app. It will display the level, in gallons, as well as some usage statistics. You will see how much oil you are using and when you will need to order heating oil next.

How Much Oil Can I Order?

Based on the size of your tank and how much oil is in it, you should know how much you can order for your tank. Follow this guide here to determine how much heating oil you can fit in your next delivery. For tanks beyond the standard 275 and 330 gallon tanks, use this tank chart here.

Refer to a Tank Chart For the Most Precise Reading

To be absolute sure your float gauge or Smart Oil Gauge is providing a perfect reading, grab a tape measure. Measure your tank to confirm its dimensions. Then, place a yard stick inside the tank to measure the height of the oil in the tank. Check the tank chart for you tank here and you’ll know how much oil is in the tank.

Happy heating,

Steve