How to avoid running out of home heating oil

How to avoid running out of home heating oil

There’s nothing worse than running out of home heating oil and when this happens, it can have a big impact on your day-to-day running of your home. Running out of home heating oil means that – as well as not having any heating in your home, you may also not have any hot water. In summer months, this can be bearable for a day or two, however during the winter, this can be really unpleasant. Forgetting to for home heating oil is of course one way which can lead to you running out of oil. However, there are other causes of running out of oil, many of which can be prevented. Of course, the best solution is to avoid running out of heating oil altogether, this saves money on the extra expense of an emergency delivery or speedy delivery as well as the cost of an approved heating engineer to carry out a boiler bleed, or in some cases, replace fuel lines and filters.

Our guide below outlines some simple steps to avoid running out of home heating oil:

PLAN AHEAD– it is a good idea to plan ahead and order oil when you have approximately a quarter of a tank of heating oil remaining. There are a few ways to do this, one of the most popular is our free ‘Top Up’ service. Just ask us to provide you with details on your annual oil usage, which we can determine from your order history. Based on this, we can schedule future deliveries at your chosen frequency and volume so that you don’t ever run out of oil again. For instance, you might like to arrange a top up of 500L of home heating oil every quarter or 300L every 6 weeks- it’s totally up to you! Then, when your top up is due, our friendly team will get in touch and you can advise if you would like us to deliver your top up, or move the delivery on a few weeks if you don’t yet need to order. You’re completely in control and will always receive the best price per litre of home heating oil on the day of your delivery. To find out more information on arranging a top up at no extra cost, call us on 028 9338 2502.

BE AWARE OF YOUR OIL LEVELS– an oil level gauge is a great option, allowing you to keep a close eye on your remaining heating oil level in your tank. At Tweeds, we offer two oil level gauge options. The most popular of which is a , an award-winning digital tank monitor. It acts as a level sensor to indicate how much home heating oil is left in your oil tank. This helps you to ensure that you never run out of oil. The oil level sensor continually monitors the oil level and when it falls below 10 percent, the fuel dispensing pump symbol appears on the receiver as a reminder to order more oil. The second option is a traditional sight gauge, a simple clear plastic tubing attached to the side of an oil tank, giving a clear indication on the levels in the oil tank.

MAKE SURE YOUR OIL TANK IS SECURE! – oil theft is a growing problem in today’s society, so being aware of this and staying vigilant is a must. It might be a good idea to invest in some security measures to protect your oil tank. Good examples include; oil tank alarms, CCTV, good quality padlocks and security lighting.

SWITCH TO A SAVINGS PLAN– no matter what your budget, finding the money every few months to pay for a fuel delivery can be a surprise. Switching to a savings plan, where you can save towards future oil deliveries is a great option. At Tweeds, we have a few options for savings scheme which can be tailored to your individual situation. Choose to pay an amount which is feasible for you, at a frequency that suits you. For example, if you get paid monthly, you may prefer to set up a monthly payment, whereas someone who is paid weekly, may prefer to make a weekly payment into their savings account. Then, when it comes time to order home heating oil, the credit you have built on your account can be put towards your order, taking the pressure off a larger, unexpected bill. To find out more about our savings scheme, call us directly on 028 9338 2502.

UPGRADE YOUR OIL TANK– it’s worth investing in to a modern version that allows you to easily monitor heating oil levels and track your usage. Today, there are modern oil tanks which can be fitted with alarms and to notify you when your oil has reached a low level and needs topping up with heating oil.

After you have received a delivery of home heating oil, it is highly possible that you will need to bleed your central heating system to remove any air pockets in the line and kick start your boiler again. Most modern boilers have a cut-off mechanism which automatically turns your boiler off when you run out of home heating oil. In some cases, some of the natural sediment and sludge that builds up and settles at the bottom of your oil tank over time could be pulled into fuel lines and can clog filters. In these cases, you should call an OFTEC approved heating engineer, who can clean & replace the effected fuel line and filters if needed. Our in house team of OFTEC approved engineers are qualified to carry out any necessary work to get your central heating system firing again.

Need to place an order for home heating oil with a heating oil supplier near you today? As your local home heating oil supplier, we deliver throughout Co Antrim to Larne, Carrickfergus, Greenisland, Whitehead, Gleno, Ballycarry, Islandmagee, Whiteabbey, Glenarm, Jordanstown, Carnlough, Ballyclare, Templepatrick and the surrounding towns & villages. Get a , or call us directly on 028 9338 2502 to speak to a member of the team.