Fight the MA Clean Heat Standard Today! - LEARN HOW
Written on: August 8, 2022
It’s August in New England. Chances are staying warm this winter isn’t front of mind for you and your family. You’ve got some time before you you’ll need to pull out the boots and sweaters and pack away your sandals and tee-shirts. This is the season you’ll spend enjoying lobster rolls and pool parties.
Given some of the record-breaking heatwaves we’ve already had this summer, you’ve probably been spending a lot of time thinking of fun ways to beat the heat. It’s likely you haven’t been thinking much about your heating oil tank. However, even though winter is still months away, you still need to spend some time thinking about your heating oil tank.
The decisions you make now will affect your heating system’s ability to keep you and your family warm and comfortable during the throes of winter. As a responsible heating oil customer, it’s important to never let your heating oil tank run down to empty. That’s true even during the summer months. Actually, it’s a good idea to keep your tank full during the summer. And Brideau Energy delivers top-quality heating oil to our customers in and around Fitchburg, Massachusetts.
There are some serious reasons to keep a full heating oil tank—even during the summer. If your heating oil tank gets too close to empty, debris can clog your oil filters. That can reduce the efficiency of your heating system. Worse than that, it could cause your heating system to fail. By keeping enough heating oil in your tank, you can avoid the costly repairs associated with a heating system failure. You’ll also avoid the increases in your bill that result from an inefficient system.
Another reason to keep a full or fuller heating oil tank is condensation. During the summer months, hot and humid days are typically followed by cooler nights. Those conditions can accelerate a buildup of condensation in your tank. And if your tank is aboveground, outside, or in an unshaded area, it’s even more vulnerable to condensation.
Why is condensation such a problem? Condensation can lead to rust in your tank, and that rust can cause your heating system to fail. Again, keeping enough heating oil in your tank helps you avoid some very costly problems.
How full is full enough? Ideally, you should keep your tank at least half full all summer long. But the fuller your tank, the less likely you are to experience any of the issues mentioned above. Summer is also usually the best time to fill your tank because heating oil prices tend to increase during the winter months. Heating oil prices have been abnormally high this summer, but they may go even higher once demand increases during the winter. Filling your tank now could mean buying your heating oil for a lower price if there’s another surge in prices this winter.
As a family-owned, top-quality fuel company, Brideau Energy cares about our central Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire customers. We’re proud to deliver Bioheat Plus® Fuel, a domestically produced fuel that’s an important step towards a carbon-neutral future.
Contact us today to learn more or to order heating oil.
