Remember to Keep Your Heating Oil Tank at Least Half Full
T
he best way to deal with most problems in your home (and in life, for that matter) is to prevent them from happening in the first place. That’s why we talk so much about the importance of preventative maintenance for your home heating equipment and cooling equipment on this blog.
But what about your heating oil tank? Does it need the same kind of TLC as your furnace or boiler does?
Not really – but there are things you can (and should) do to make sure your heating oil tank doesn’t give you problems don’t the road.
The first and most important thing you can do for your heating oil tank is to have a Tank Sure inspection each year. The inspection will help a technician to uncover hidden structural problems in your heating oil tank before they manifest as leaks – or worse.
The second thing you can do is a little less obvious: keep your tank at least half filled with heating oil.
An empty (or mostly empty) heating oil tank will accumulate condensation (water) on its interior walls as temperatures shift between seasons. This condensation creates “perfect storm” conditions for bacteria growth, which will eventually turn your heating oil into line-clogging, efficiency-robbing sludge. Condensation will also eventually rot the bottom of your tank, since water is heavier than oil and will sink once it falls from the tank walls.
The bottom line: Condensation build-up is bad, and inspecting and filling your tank with heating oil is the best way to prevent it. Top off your tank now and it could prevent problems down the road. It could save you money, too, since pre-season heating oil prices are often lower than in-season prices, when heating oil demand and market prices are highest.
Spring and early summer are great times for a heating oil tank inspection – why not schedule yours today? Contact us today to learn more or to schedule a heating oil delivery to your Maryland home.
