Home Heating Oil – The Top Tips For Summer
While heating oil is likely to be one of the very last things on your mind in the summer, it’s also one of the best times to get your home fuel oil system in order. Even though winter may seem far away, the reality is that it comes faster than you think. The last thing you want to do is wait until the cold weather creeps in, to realize that your tank is empty. Instead, if you deal with it now, you can ensure that you have a comfortably warm home when you need it the most. In this article, we discuss some summer heating oil tips you can follow.
The Top Heating Oil Tips For The Summer
Keep reading to explore some useful summer heating oil strategies.
1. Take Advantage Of Supply & Demand Of Heating Oil
Take advantage of heating oil prices during the summer. Typically, demand for oil peaks in the winter which means the prices go up. When the demand drops off, there is more supply outweighing it. This causes the prices to fall. If you end up waiting until the weather starts to get cold to refill your home oil tank, you are going to pay more. It’s as simple as that. When you purchase the oil in the summer months, oil companies are looking to offload their product. This incentivizes them to lower prices. As a proactive homeowner, you can take advantage of this and score oil for a cheaper price. You want to look at how much you’ll need and call it in. You can leverage R.F. Ohl’s convenient online ordering platform.
2. Perform A Heating Oil Tank Inspection
The warmer months are a great time to ensure your oil tank is in order. You want to perform an inspection that helps you pinpoint problems and issues that you may need to address. It’s a great time to do it because of the sunshine and good weather. Also, you don’t necessarily need it during the warmer months. You can go around your home where your oil tank is located and check it. You’ll want to check to spot any rust. You should also look for potential holes, cracks, or leaks. Any issues with your tank could lead to issues with your entire system. You also want to ensure the structural integrity of your tank is intact. Ensure the legs are fully stable. If you notice any issues with it, you’ll want to schedule an oil tank replacement. Replacing a worn-out tank is the best way to prevent issues.
3. Call a Professional Oil Heating System Service
As a homeowner, you may be able to spot signs of obvious problems. Whether it’s a crack or something on the surface of your tank, you can generally figure out something is wrong. This isn’t always the case. Not every issue is going to be noticeable. Likewise, some things can be very subtle. You’ll need someone that is trained in looking at and inspecting oil tanks to find them. A professional heating oil system expert can reach a lot of areas you wouldn’t be able to. They also have the necessary tools and equipment that are needed to perform a system tune-up and cleaning. You want to try to schedule professional service a minimum of once per year. With a professional assisting you and looking at your tank, it’ll keep your heating equipment fully functional and operating perfectly.
4. Secure Your Residential Oil Tank
The tank outside of your home contains a lot of valuable fuel. They are generally going to be outside of your home and in the open. Because of this, they can be a target for criminals. Someone could come onto your property can try to steal your fuel by siphoning it out of your tank. They could figure out when you get your oil delivered and steal oil every time you refill the tank. While you don’t necessarily have to install a security system unless you are worried, you do want to keep an eye on things. Installing a fence, bushes, or cameras can be a good way to deter criminals and prevent oil tank theft.
5. Leverage The Downtime
If you have been wanting to make a significant change, you want to try to get it done in the summer months. The summer is a perfect time. You can replace your old oil tanks with new ones, you can perform a boiler upgrade and more. Regardless, you want to do these things when you don’t actively need your heating system to maintain comfort. Doing it during the warmer months can keep things from getting stressful when you need it.
6. Ensure Full Heating Oil Pipe Accessibility
Any heating oil truck will need to have full access to the tank’s fill pipe to make a heating oil delivery. A lot of times, you will have an overgrowth in these areas of your yard. Try to keep this from happening. Check on the area on occasion and trim the grass and bushes in this area. You want to try to mark this area too. This can make it easier for your oil supplier to identify it.
7. Find a Better Oil Delivery Company
If you aren’t entirely satisfied with how your oil delivery company is performing, you’ll want to try to figure out your options. Luckily, you likely have a few options to consider. The summertime is the perfect time to find a new heating oil delivery company in your area. You can jot down some of the competition in the area and make some calls. You can also check out their reviews to figure out which companies have the best reputation. This is also a good time to score better deals. You can ask around your neighborhood, friends, and even your family if they live in the area. Ask about their delivery experiences and you can generally get good testimonials from people you know and trust.
If you aren’t already an R.F. Ohl customer, be sure to contact us today to learn more about what we can do for you!
8. Prevent Oil Tank Condensation
The summertime is one of the periods where you need to check for oil tank condensation. This can become a major issue. It’s one of the ways your tank can get damaged. Any excess moisture can cause the tank to corrode. This can result in the walls of the tank getting weaker too. Ideally, you want to avoid allowing your tank from getting too low even if it’s during the summer. If your tank is empty, the majority of the tank will be full of air. This results in corrosion due to temperature fluctuations and more. Try to keep your oil tank as full as possible to avoid condensation buildup.
Final Thoughts
While it may sound backward, summer is the most opportune time to start maintaining your oil tank and oil heating system. You don’t want to leave the maintenance and other work for the colder months when you need everything working properly. Your oil heating system and fuel oil tank are generally going to be idle during the summer. This gives you plenty of time to work on the heating system and ensure it’s going to get you through the harsh winter months. It also makes for the best time to reassess your budget, find better deals, and schedule your next oil delivery.
Call R.F. Ohl for Solutions to Ensuring Comfort in Your Home
For reliable and affordably-priced heating oil, call R.F. Ohl. You can count on our high-quality, discount heating oil deliveries to be fast and friendly. We also offer efficient heating solutions for your family and home.
The expert technicians on our team are equipped to handle any HVAC repair or maintenance. Contact us to hear about our various services. We can assist by answering your questions and concerns. For more information about our efficient HVAC services or oil deliveries, call R.F. Ohl today!
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