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While the winter months of Maryland and Pennsylvania will likely bring snowstorms and below-freezing temperatures, your heating oil helps provide you with the warmth and comfort that makes your home cozy and safe all winter long. But when you run out of heating oil, quick action is needed before your home is as cold as ice and your only escape is under a pile of thick blankets. If you are worried that you may have run out of heating oil, follow these steps:
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Check the Fuel Oil Tank Gauge
If your oil tank has a working gauge, a floating bar should indicate how much oil is left in your tank. We recommend refilling your tank when it is between 1/4 and 1/3 full in order to avoid running out of heating oil or potentially causing harm to your heating system. If you believe your oil gauge may be inaccurate, or your oil tank does not have a gauge, continue to Step 2.
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Look Inside Your Heating Oil Tank
Remove the largest cap on top of the oil tank and look inside using a flashlight. If your tank is clearly filled more than halfway with liquid oil, there is no need to worry. But just because the bottom of your tank is covered doesn’t mean that it contains usable oil. Rust and solid “sludge” will often form at the bottom of oil tanks, and this sludge can get drawn into your furnace burners if your tank is too low, often requiring expensive repair work. If your tank is empty or visibly contains solid residue, call your fuel supplier and request a tank inspection as soon as possible. In most cases, you will probably be unable to see the bottom of your tank, continue to Step 3.
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The Best Way: Measure Oil Manually
For most oil tanks, any yardstick or clean, dry rod long enough to reach the bottom of your tank, such as a dipstick, dowl, measuring stick, or broom handle, can be inserted straight down through the hole until it reaches the bottom to manually check how much oil is left. It is important to your system that you ensure the dipstick is clean and free of debris. Next, you will need to determine how much fuel is in the tank.
Use the helpful chart below to determine 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 |
Heating Oil Delivery from Tevis Energy
If you are out of heating oil and need to request a delivery, contact us today online or by calling (410) 876-6800. Few if any heating oil companies compare to Tevis Energy’s ability to respond quickly! Click here to learn more about our 24/7 Emergency Service. Tevis Energy is proud to be a family-owned and operated business reliably serving communities throughout Maryland and Pennsylvania with safe, clean-burning diesel and heating oil at a competitive price.
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