How Long Will A Tank Of Oil Last?

How long will a full tank of oil last? If your Cape Cod home utilizes oil-fed heating systems, there’s nothing more important than maintaining a steady supply of oil in the tank. If you run out of oil, you run out of heat! This means knowing when to schedule oil delivery is vital, and a big part of that is understanding how much heat you’re going to get out of a single tank of heating oil. Today, the experts at The Oil Peddler are here to give you a basic rundown on how to know how long a single tank of oil will last in your home. Continue reading this blog post to find out the answer to this important question.

The Top Factors That Determine How Long A Full Tank of Oil Will Last

Firstly, it’s important to know that there are many factors that can alter how much oil your system consumes on a daily or weekly basis. Especially this year, since you’re likely to be spending more time at home. Some of the most impactful factors for how long a tank of oil will last include:

• The type of heating system you use –

Each oil heating system on the market will consume oil differently. For example, AFUE ratings differ. This number tells you the heating system’s efficiency in terms of a percentage. An 80% AFUE system will convert 80% of the fuel put into it as heat, and the remaining 20% will be wasted. Burners, pressure, and more will also factor in. The age of your heating system will also be a factor in how much heating oil you use. Older furnaces and boilers will not be as efficient as newer models and thus, use more oil than others.

• Cape Cod, MA weather –

The colder it is on Cape Cod, the more your heating system will have to work in order to keep up, which is going to mean more fuel eaten up. Often even more important than the temperature is the wind — a windy day saps heat from your home, making the furnace work double-time. Keep an eye on the temperatures to see how they affect your oil tank usage.

• Your home’s structure and size –

A larger home often means a bigger, meatier, and more oil-hungry heating unit. Additionally, your home’s insulation levels will factor in, as well as the number of windows and doors you have.

Related Post: How to Avoid A No-Heat Emergency This Winter

How to Get a Rough Estimate of Your Oil Usage

All of the factors above are variable according to the condition of your heating system and the weather we’re experiencing. For this reason, you shouldn’t take a rough estimate as gospel, and instead should keep an eye on your tank gauge in order to decide when you need heating oil delivery.

This said, having an idea can still help a lot, and lets you plan oil delivery a bit more for budgeting and practical purposes. There are two ways to do this:

1. There’s a data tag on an oil heater that will show the recommended flow rate for your oil spray nozzle, which will be expressed in gallons — this number most commonly ranges between .8 to 1.7 gallons per hour. If you time the length of your heating system’s “on” cycle, you can roughly determine how much oil the system consumes each time it runs, and can then observe how many times the system kicks on in a day to find out how much oil you used.
2. You can also keep your oil delivery bills, which is the easiest way to get a feel for how often your tank needs oil based on your habits and particular heating system.

Related Post: When is the Best Time to Buy Heating Oil?

Keep Your Oil Tank Topped with The Oil Peddler—Cape Cod’s #1 Bulk Fuel Delivery Company!

After you have figured out how long the heating oil in your tank will last you, the next step is to find a dependable fuel oil supplier on Cape Cod, MA. When you need discount heating oil you want to connect with a company that boasts great prices, dependable service, and can keep up with your demand. The Oil Peddler has over 40 years of experience in the industry, and we always strive to meet our customer’s needs with care.

Reach us online to schedule bulk heating oil delivery, or give us a call to talk with an oil delivery specialist now!