How Do I Know If I’ve Run Out of Heating Oil?

Heating oil is an essential household item for millions of homeowners throughout Maryland and Pennsylvania who depend on cost-effective heat during the winter. When temperatures are dropping and snow is falling, the last thing that you want is to run out of heating oil! If you are concerned that you are about to run out of fuel oil or that you are completely dry, there are several steps you can take to identify the problem.

1.     Check the Tank Gauge

If your heating oil tank has a gauge, it should display a bar that says how much oil remains in your tank. We suggest that our customers refill their fuel oil tank when the gauge reads between ¼ and 1/3 full to ensure it never runs dry. Our automatic delivery customers have the peace of mind that we will schedule a delivery before their heating oil tank reaches 25% or 1/4. Does your gauge seem inaccurate? Do you not have a working gauge? Continue to step 2.

2.     Check Inside the Tank

Remove the cap on the top of the heating oil tank and use a flashlight to illuminate the inside. If the tank is clearly full of fuel oil, you don’t need to worry. However, if you don’t see liquid oil, you might have rust and sludge accumulated at the bottom. If your heating oil level runs too low, the sludge can get drawn into your furnace burner and do serious damage. If you see solid residue or you are out of fuel oil, call your heating oil provider to schedule a tank inspection. If you can’t see the bottom of your tank but there is liquid fuel present, continue to step 3.

3.     Measure the Oil Manually

For most heating oil tanks, you can use a clean, dry stick long enough to reach the bottom of the tank to determine oil levels and if you are close to running out of fuel oil. Lower the stick through the hole until it hits the bottom. Then, use the chart below to see the depth of your heating oil.

	275 gallon (44” depth) tank	550 gallon (49” depth) tank
Oil Depth	Gallons Remaining	Gallons Remaining
1”	3	3
2”	8	7
3”	15	14
4″	23	21
5″	32	23
6″	42	28
7″	53	48
8″	63	58
9″	74	69
10″	86	81
11″	98	92
12″	110	104
13″	122	117
14″	135	129
15″	148	143
16″	160	156
17″	172	169
18″	184	183
19″	196	197
20″	207	211
21″	217	225
22″	228	239
23″	246	254
24″	255	268
25″	264	283
26″	270	297
27″	275	312
28″		326
29″		340
30″		354
31″		368
32″		382
33″		395
34″		408
35″		422
36″		434
37″		447
38″		459
39″		470
40″		482
41″		493
42″		503
43″		513
44″		522
45″		530
46″		537
47″		544
48″		548
49″		550

Never Run Out of Heating Oil with Husky Heating Oil

Husky Heating Oil is a leader in high-quality heating oil delivery for homeowners in Anne Arundel County, Baltimore County, Carroll County, Harford County, and Howard County. Since 1993, we have worked hard to deliver our customers cost-effective fuels to heat their homes. To check our rates or place your order, please visit our website or call us today at (410) 220-5386.