As the name suggests, Natural Gas is a naturally occurring gas that can be used as a source of heat. While it derives mostly from methane, it’s still composed of other hydrocarbons, such as CO2 and water vapor. In today’s modern age, it’s used as a popular heat source for your home! But what exactly is it and how does it work? Below, I’ll be going over what you need to know about Natural Gas and what you can use it for!
Composition
Natural Gas is primarily composed of methane gas and other hydrocarbons such as CO2 and water vapor. It takes millions of years to form under conditions where there’s intense heat and pressure. This turns it into an odorless and colorless gas that’s a non-renewable fossil fuel. This means that it derives from prehistoric plants and animals and that the methane used in natural gas is in limited supply. We’re actually using more of it than what’s being produced. However, despite being made of primarily methane, natural gas is completely safe to use! It’s ignited in its gas state before it’s turned into heat!
This is methane. It’s the primary ingredient in natural gas.
Methane gas is the primary component in natural gas. As we know, methane is a biofuel, meaning it comes from organic life. Buffalo, cattle, and Sheep are some examples of animals that produce it naturally. In today’s age, we produce roughly anywhere from 580-640 metric tons of methane gas every year! For reference, that’s more than scientists believe was created annually by sauropod dinosaurs during the Jurassic period(530-570 metric tons)! However, we produce ours through many different ways, such as agriculture, fossil fuels, and landfills. So technically, the dinosaurs had us beat there!
Natural Gas Today
In today’s day and age, natural gas is used as a form of heating! It is used as a way to heat the home and for cooking. Some newer apartment complexes and homes will often use natural gas as their main way to heat!
Because it’s a fossil fuel, you must get it through a network of underground pipes that was put there during construction. It’s growing in popularity, but it’s only really found in towns and cities that have a dense population. Gas lines will tend to be a network of pipes underneath the town or city that connect to various buildings.
You’ll often see meters outside homes or buildings that use natural gas. These meters will help you understand how much you’re putting into your home or the building. Based on how much you use, you’re then charged by the utility company that maintains the system. But it still tends to be cheaper than heating oil and propane. I’ve seen monthly bills as low as $50 for a small apartment.
Natural Gas meters tend to look like this. They make a connection from the ground into your home and it monitors how much you’re using.
Natural Gas Vs Heating Oil
Natural Gas tends to be more efficient and tends to burn a bit cleaner than coal does. However, how does it compare to heating oil that’s fairly popular?
The major advantage of heating oil is its flexibility. The nice thing about heating oil is that you own your tank, and you can buy heating oil from pretty much anyone. This gives you the flexibility to shop around and get the best price possible for you! Websites such as Fuelsnap will allow you to shop around to get the best price. However, natural gas doesn’t tend to have this flexibility. Usually, you’ll only have to get it from your utility provider, so you won’t have much flexibility there.
The nice thing about Natural gas is that you won’t have to rely on a delivery to get it! Unlike heating oil, where you have to worry about when your next delivery will be, it’ll just flow naturally into your home through the network of pipes in your town! This makes it cheap and reliable!
Conclusion
Natural Gas is a cheap and reliable fossil fuel that’s becoming more and more popular by the day! While it’s only available for certain towns and cities, it’s still a great way to heat the home! However, while it is cheap and reliable, being a fossil fuel means it’s limited in supply! But, given the chance to buy a house or move into an apartment with it, I definitely recommend it! Being that it’s reliable and burns much cleaner than other options, it’s a great choice. However, be aware that you cannot order it around, and it tends to come from the provider and naturally enter the home!
The Smart Oil Gauge is a useful tool to be able to find out your usage and level data for your heating oil system! However, there are two different models of devices! There’s the Standard Smart Oil Gauge and the Duo Gauge. Both are great devices, but they do have differences that can set them apart from each other! Below, I’ll have everything that you need to understand the differences between our two Smart Oil Gauge devices!
Differently Designed Caps
At first glance, you can clearly tell the difference between the Duo and Standard Smart Oil Gauges. They both have differently designed caps. The standard gauge has a white PVC cap that’s a single piece. However, the Duo comes in a two-piece grey plastic cap. The reason for the Duo’s cap being in two pieces is to be able to provide a stronger seal. This is especially useful on outdoor tanks. This is because on Duos, the two-piece cap gives the gauge a better seal that prevents moisture from getting into the device. Part of this two-piece cap sits on top of the internals, while the other piece screws on over it. However, with the standard Smart Oil Gauge, the cap simply screws on!
These are the Duo and Standard Gauges. As you can see, they have different caps and sensor structures.
Notably, for the Outdoor Duos, you won’t need to apply Teflon tape around the top threads of the gauge. This is because the caps on the Duo provide a strong seal to prevent moisture from building up on the inside of it! With our previous Standard Indoor/Outdoor device, we had suggested wrapping Teflon tape around the top threads. On the Duo, that’s not necessary!
Sensor Sensitivity& Operating Range
If you’re a long-time user of the original Smart Oil Gauge, then you might be aware of a slight sensitivity that the gauge has when the tank is full. This is anytime there’s oil within the top 8″ of the tank. This can cause the gauge’s signal to bounce around a lot when the tank is full. This will cause the gauge to read less oil at first when the tank is full.
However, as you burn oil, you’ll see the level slowly decline. The gauge will then give a sudden spike up in oil on the graph, almost like you got another fill-up. But this is actually just the oil level clearing the top 8″ of the tank. If you’d like to learn more about this sensitivity, you can check it out on our website here. The reason for this is because of the standard Smart Oil Gauge’s operating range of 8″-72″. The gauge won’t be able to pick up anything within the top 8″ of the tank.
The Duo and Standard gauges have both different operating ranges and adapter compatibilities.
However, on the Smart Oil Gauge Duo, the operating range is slightly larger. The Duo has an operating range of 0-72″. This means that anything within the top 8″ of the tank, the Duo will be able to pick up without issue. This is because of the Smart Oil Gauge Duo’s dual sensor structure; the gauge has a much easier time sending and receiving the signal. One of the gauges sends the signal, while the other receives it. This makes the Duo more accurate overall, especially when the tank is full.
Gauge Compatibility
When using the Duo and Standard Smart Oil Gauges, it’s important to know their compatibility with adapters and tanks.
Firstly, when it comes to the adapters, there’s a major difference between the two models of Smart Oil Gauge! They both have a different sensor structure, so their adapters aren’t interchangeable. Meaning, you cannot use the Duo adapter on a Standard Smart Oil Gauge and vice versa. The Duo has two adapters, being the CCF-905DUO and the CCF-906DUO. These adapters are for 1.5″ NPT tanks and Roth tanks, respectively. Meanwhile, the standard Smart Oil Gauge has three adapters. These are the CCF-905, CCF-906 & CCF-908. The 908 model is for tanks with 1.25″ NPT fittings. The Duo CANNOT be used on tanks with a 1.25″ NPT fitting. This is because the gauge’s sensors are too large to fit into the holes of the adapter. If you purchased a Duo for a 1.25″ NPT fitting tank, then you will need to return the Duo and purchase the standard model.
Adapters are important for functionality of the Smart Oil Gauge. However, these are the adapters for the standard Smart Oil Gauge.
As for tank compatibility, both of these gauges are both compatible and incompatible with the same tanks. Both the Duo and Standard model Smart Oil Gauges can be used on all standard oil tanks. However, there are three tank styles for which the gauges cannot be installed. These tanks are Roth 1500L, underground, and fiberglass tanks. Each tank has its own reason for the Smart Oil Gauge being unable to work on them. But in short, Roth 1500L tanks have an interior support baffle that prevents the gauge from reading beyond half a tank. Underground tanks are too far underground for the gauge to properly read the level. Fiberglass tank fittings will tend to have a “lip” that interferes with the gauge’s signal and prevents it from reading properly.
Fiberglass tanks tend to look like this. Their size and style are fairly unique, and often their capsule shape prevents the Smart Oil Gauge from properly reading.
Different Internals
On the standard model of Smart Oil Gauge, the internal boards connect via pins on the bottom. These boards shouldn’t be disconnected, as it can be a little bit frustrating to reconnect them. Additionally, the Smart Oil Gauge won’t be able to read properly if they’re disconnected. If they’re not connected properly, the gauge will read beyond a full tank.
However, the Duo model has a set of internals that are stored in a trash can-like structure. You can take this trashcan-like structure out of the piping to troubleshoot or change the batteries if needed! This makes the process of troubleshooting the gauge or changing the WIFI information a lot less frustrating! By doing this, you don’t have to stay at the tank location and try to reconnect it. You can instead do it all from the warmth of the confines of your home!
Which Gauge Should you purchase?
Now, as strange as this sounds, which one you should purchase depends on your tank setup and personal preference! They’re both great! However, if you’re the type of person who likes to know the exact amount of oil in the tank even when it’s full, the Duo is your best bet! The Duo’s larger operating range is going to help you get an accurate reading of oil, especially with the full tank. But if the sensitivity isn’t a big issue for you, then the standard model is still a great choice!
However, if you have a tank with a 1.25″ NPT fitting, then you MUST get the standard Smart Oil Gauge. This is because the standard gauge is able to fit properly into the CCF-908 adapter, which the Duo won’t be able to!
Once your furnace hits 30 years old, then it’s the perfect time to start looking for a new one! Your annual maintenance is still plenty useful for your system. However, it’s still strongly recommended to replace your system after the 30-year mark. This is around the time the thought of replacing your furnace should be on your radar. If you’re reading this in preparation for that, then don’t worry, I’ll cover what you need to know! The summer is the perfect time to replace it!
What Exactly is a Furnace?
The furnace in your home has a simple job. That’s converting your oil into hot air that’s spread around the house. Typically, your furnace is connected to a tank that stores either heating oil or propane. This is then heated up and pushed through the ducts in your home. Typically, your furnace will consist of the following:
Burner: This is what normally combines air with fuel and flame to produce the heat that’s distributed around your home.
The Heat Exchanger: This is where the heat in the combustion chamber of your furnace becomes clean air that’s then distributed around the home.
The Blower: This takes the air from inside your home and pushes it into the heat exchanger. This then blows hot air from the furnace into your house!
Heat exchangers are a vital component to your furnace. They’re how the air in home gets converted into heat.
Now, when it comes to replacing your furnace, you should follow the steps below.
Deciding on a Fuel Source
When it comes to choosing a fuel source, you don’t always have much of a choice. Usually, the fuel source you use will more often than not depend on your location. For example, natural gas cannot be added to a preexisting home because it requires a network of pipes from underneath the streets. These pipes are usually put there when a home is being built.
Even if you don’t have natural gas available to you, don’t worry, because you’ll still have access to heating oil and propane! They can be a bit more expensive than natural gas, but overall, they’re easier to get access to.
The easiest thing to do when changing your furnace is to use the same fuel source you had before the switch. In short, if you’re using heating oil, then you should stick to heating oil. The same can be said about propane and natural gas. This is also cheaper to stay with what you’ve got, because if you switch, you’re going to have to do a whole system overhaul. Propane dealers will actually try to get you to make the switch to propane. DO NOT LISTEN TO THEM. This is more profitable to them, and you’ll end up spending a lot more money. They’ll also try to tell you that heating oil is more expensive than propane. However, note that it takes more propane to heat the same amount as heating oil does!
Picking a Brand
When it comes to oil furnaces, you have quite a few different options. But some of the top brands include Trane, Carrier, and Lennox. However, when choosing one of these brands, you’ll want to pay attention to the system’s efficiency, reliability, and cost of the overall furnace. Those factors should play a key role in your final decision. However, if for whatever reason your furnace stops working in the winter, contact the manufacturer, and they’ll come out and repair it for you!
Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case when it comes to natural gas furnaces. Natural Gas is typically built and sold across the country. This means that there are too many different types and styles of natural gas, which makes maintenance a little harder.
When it comes to replacing your furnace, you’re going to want to make sure it’s efficient and built to last. Thermo Pride is a brand that is high-quality and durable. Purchasing one of these furnaces should last you quite a while.
Thermo Pride furnaces are durable and reliable! They’re a fantastic brand of furnace to go with!
Furnace Size
Determining the size of your new furnace is easy to do. Most of the time, choosing a size that matches your current furnace is the easiest. However, things might’ve changed since the original construction of the house. For example, did you add any extensions to the home? What about windows and doors? Was the system properly sized at the start?
The following factors can often lead to your system being undersized or oversized, which can result in a shorter lifespan of the furnace as well as higher energy bills. This is why it’s important to have a qualified HVAC technician install the furnace. When they are installing it, they might ask you the following questions:
What’s the square footage of the home?
What’s the height of the walls?
How many windows are in the house?
What’re the windows’ dimensions?
Are the windows single or dual pane?
How well insulated is the home?
Keep in mind that if your HVAC technician doesn’t ask you a lot of questions or can’t properly answer your questions, you should find another technician. There are a lot more questions to be asked and factors regarding your home that can affect overall usage. If they only ask about square footage, then you should avoid
What’s it Cost?
The overall price of replacing the first is the number one factor. While this is a necessity after 30 years of use, it can still be expensive. Depending on where you get it from, the entire job of replacing your furnace can range from $8k-$10k. Most of the time, furnace companies will offer 0% financing on furnace installations.
Concluding Thoughts
Buying a new furnace after your furnace has reached 30 years old is crucial. This’ll help make sure that your home is heated properly and ensure the safety of your home during heating oil season. Doing this is a good idea to do sooner rather than later. Especially if you’re planning on staying in this home for the long-term!
While the price of the furnace might be a little bit higher outright, it’ll still help in the long run. A new furnace is ultimately more efficient and reliable at the end of the day. Just be sure to get your annual maintenance done on your furnace to avoid any unforeseen issues!
If you’re living in an older home, winter is likely a dreadful time for you. This is often a rough time for homeowners with older homes. Drafty windows and less insulation in the house can make you burn through more heating oil than you might think, which makes it harder to heat the home and keep it warm! So how exactly do you counteract this? Well, in this article, I’m going to go through tips and tricks on what to do!
What You Should Focus On?
In parts of New York and Connecticut, there are plenty of older homes! While older homes can sound appealing, they’re not without their downsides! For example, a home that was built during the 1900s will likely still have windows from the 1900s. These older windows might not always be properly sealed, so if it’s windy, you might catch a bit of a draft! These drafty windows can cause heat to leave the home, which makes it harder to keep the house warm, but also makes the heating bills very expensive.
However, not all is lost. I’ve spoken with some friends and family members of mine who have older homes, and they’ve given me some tips and tricks to keep the house warmer! I’ve even got a couple of things to share from my experience as well! But you should focus on the following areas first.
Finding out where the heat is escaping from, also known as Heat Loss
Ensuring that your burner is in good shape and that it’s efficient
Keeping track of your consumption and adjusting your thermostat as needed.
While this house looks beautiful, it’s a major money sink when it comes to heating oil.
Loss of Heat – Where’s It Going?
To find out where your loss of heat is coming from, monitoring your boiler and furnace would be a great place to start. Typically, as the warm air in your home escapes, it’s replaced by cold air. This’ll tend to lower the overall air temperature of your home. But, these are typically the key places where heat escapes:
Doors
Windows
Walls
Ducts
Doors
This is by far the most common way for heat to escape the home. If you have a busy house, then the doors constantly being opened and closed will give heat in the home an opportunity to escape. It’s very rare that doors are properly sealed to be perfectly shut. This is often because the doors will need to be frequently opened and closed for members of the home to go in and out.
However, even when the door is closed, the bottom of the door might have a little bit of a draft. This is common, especially in older homes. However, you can put down a draft blocker or a door sweep in front of the bottom of the door. This will prevent the hot air from escaping and the cold air from entering! We use one of these on the front door of my house!
This is a draft blocker. It can be laid on a door or window and it helps catch the draft of the cold air. My family uses these and they’re super helpful!
Windows
In older homes, single-pane windows were the more appealing option during construction. However, in terms of keeping the heat in, they leave much to be desired. In modern homes, two-pane windows tend to be more common and offer an airspace between them. That small airspace acts similarly to insulation and does a better job of keeping the heat in the home. However, on single-pane windows, there’s a way to counteract this. You can tend to apply a thin layer of plastic film around the window. Doing this will create a makeshift insulation on the single-pane window, keeping the heat in. Cutting it to size and holding it down with some tape will keep it secure until you’re able to put a hair dryer to it. Using a hair dryer will tend to wrap it in place. Doing this will ensure the home is more comfortable and will help keep the heat in!
This is what the wrapping around the door tends to look like. It looks a little goofy, but trust me, it works well!
Walls
Walls are surprisingly another way that heat tends to escape the house. Some walls might not be as well insulated as others, which can cause the heat to escape through the thin insulation. You can also blow in your own insulation, which tends to be more cost-effective. However, you will also need to subsidize it through energy auditing from the state. But once you’ve managed to add more insulation, you’ll see that your usage drops significantly almost immediately.
Ducts
This one can actually be a little surprising. But it’s very important to know that ductwork in the home is very important. You might notice that on a lot of older homes, “Forced Hot Air” is a primary source of heating. With a Forced Hot Air setup, your furnace will often use what’s called a “Heat Exchanger”. These are used to push hot air through ducts in your home after the air has been heated by the furnace. These ducts will also suck in air from the “return vents” that are throughout the home. Due to this, the furnace won’t have to heat the cold air from the outside!
However, some basements can tend to be VERY cold and sometimes unheated. This tends to mean that a lot of these basements will have cold air cooling the ducts. This can cause your furnace to unintentionally work much harder to try to heat your basement. But, you can also wrap the insulation to keep the heat headed in the right direction to make it where it really needs to go. This’ll also keep the returning air from cooling, to ensure that it returns to the furnace as it left. Insulating the ducts will also seal any leaks that would allow hot air to escape.
Generating Heat
While it might not seem like it, your home’s boiler or furnace is similar to the engine of a car. It produces heat so that you can stay warm! You know how you’re supposed to change your car’s oil regularly? Well, it’s important to get your burner serviced regularly! Annual clean-ups and tune-ups will help HVAC technicians see any issues or problems before they happen! Like a car, you should stay ahead of the game for anything that could be problematic for your system! This will help prevent any problems from arising during the cold winter months!
It’s important that you do regular annual maintenance at least once every year.
If you don’t get an annual tune-up, then this can lead to dangerous and even fatal issues. This could be something like a crack in the heat exchanger, for example. Failure to get this done can lead to a carbon monoxide leak, which can be lethal if inhaled! If this happens, then you’ll have no choice but to replace the furnace. Especially on an old home, it’s important to get your system checked regularly!
Most furnaces are quite durable and will tend to last anywhere from 20 to 30 years. But if your system is at least 20 years old and hasn’t been updated or replaced, then I strongly recommend replacing your furnace. New systems will often tend to be more efficient, quieter, and tend to output more heat compared to an older system.
A new heating oil system will tend to look like this. These systems will save you a lot of money in the long term. They tend to also give you the ability to program the temperatures in the home! That tends to result in lower usage!
Monitoring Consumption
While you can manually track your consumption by looking at your float gauge and doing the math, that’s a little bit more time-consuming. Especially if you’re busy, you won’t want to spend the time figuring out your oil usage. That’s why the Smart Oil Gauge is a great tool to have on your tank! It gives you the ability to monitor your system’s usage and what your oil level is at. By simply being installed onto the tank, the Smart Oil Gauge will keep track of your level and your usage all through its ultrasonic sensor. The Smart Oil Gauge can also be used in combination with a programmable thermostat! Your usage data will reflect that on the Smart Oil Gauge as well!
Homes that have radiators and boilers will tend to take a little bit longer to have the home reheat. The Smart Oil Gauge will be able to show you your usage for the day, week, month, and year. If you leave your thermostat on the same temperature for a day or so, the Smart Oil Gauge will reflect that with low usage. Your usage will be even lower if your home has good insulation.
Another thing that you can do with the Smart Oil Gauge is compare the previous year’s data to this year’s. However, you cannot do this through the app. You’ll need to log in to the website, click on the three grey lines, and click on “Export”. From here, simply choose a range of dates, and you’ll be able to export that data into a Microsoft Excel Sheet!
What’s your K-Factor?
Essentially, your K-factor is the number of days that your heating oil will last you. To completely understand this, you will need to know your degree days. Degree days are a representation of your demand to heat the home. This helps track outdoor temperatures that will determine how much oil you’ll burn on a specific day. The way to calculate this is easy. Simply take the outside temperature and subtract that from the average indoor temperature, and you’ll have your degree days!
As an example, if the outdoor temperature is 15 degrees, and the inside temperature is 60 degrees. You’ll want to put them into the following equation (60-15= 45 degree days). In the entire state of Connecticut, we’ll see around 6,000 degree days over the course of a whole year.
Comparisons Between Your Old and New Furnace
If you’ve used the “Export” option on our Smart Oil Gauge website, then you can use last year’s usage data and compare it to this year’s. First, you’ll want to determine your K-Factor by using your average amount of oil burned throughout last year. Depending on where you live in the US, this will be different. However, starting off with your overall yearly usage will help you start to understand what your K-Factor is.
The Smart Oil Gauge will track your hourly usage and level as it takes readings and uploads. On the left, you’ll see data from an older furnace. While on the right is for a newer furnace.
When you have a new furnace, your K-factor will most likely be increased. This means that you’ll end up using a significantly smaller amount of oil than on your old furnace. This is because, over time, your old furnace becomes less efficient, which means you’re going to be using more oil overall.
Conclusion: An Older Home’s Heating Oil
When it comes to heating oil in an old home, you might be asking yourself, “How?” How can you save the most on oil? The best way to go about it would be to get a new furnace. A new furnace would burn less oil and result in more money saved due to its better efficiency. However, replacing a furnace is expensive. Doing so will easily cost you several thousand dollars. So if you’re on a budget and don’t exactly have the funds, and your furnace isn’t that old, you can get away with it. But if your furnace is at least 20 years old, you should definitely get it replaced!
Getting an idea of your daily, weekly, and monthly consumption will also help you have a better idea of how much you’re going to burn moving forward! Installing a Smart Oil Gauge is going to be a major asset for you! Adding this to your system will help you manage your usage and give you a better idea of when you’ll need to order oil!
If you’re a smart device advocate, then you’ll be excited to hear that the Smart Oil Gauge is compatible with Amazon Alexa! The Amazon family of devices is a set of devices that allows for smart home integration! We have an Alexa skill that’ll allow the Smart Oil Gauge to connect with your Amazon account, allowing the two to communicate. Once you’ve eventually connected the two, you’ll be able to ask Alexa a variety of questions regarding your Smart Oil Gauge. But what exactly do you have to do? In this blog, I’ll give you instructions on what to do!
This is an Amazon Echo. One of the many Amazon home devices that are compatible with the Smart Oil Gauge.
Linking Alexa to Smart Oil Gauge
The process to link your Amazon account to your Smart Oil Gauge account is very simple and easy to do. However, you must first enable the Smart Oil Gauge skill in the Alexa app. There are two ways you can do it.
The first way is to simply ask Alexa! You can say to Alexa, “Alexa, enable the Smart Oil Gauge Skill,” and she should be able to enable the skill for you on your Amazon home device.
The second way you can do it is by going to the app and searching for the skill and enabling it! The following steps will give you brief instructions on what to do:
Open the Alexa App on your phone
Click on the three lines on the bottom
Select Skills and Games
Search for ‘Smart Oil Gauge‘ and download it
Log into your Smart Oil Gauge Account
After you’ve downloaded the skill, go ahead and log in to your account. Once you’ve done that, the Smart Oil Gauge will be able to communicate with Alexa! You can now start asking her all kinds of questions!
What Can you Ask Alexa?
To make sure that Alexa is properly communicating with the Smart Oil Gauge, you’ll want to say a specific command. Start by saying “Alexa, talk to Smart Oil Gauge”! This will trigger the Smart Oil Gauge skill to communicate. From here, you’ll be able to ask a variety of different questions!
Here are some questions that you can ask Alexa:
“Alexa, how much oil is in my tank?”
“When do I need to order oil?”
“How many days do I have until I run out of oil?”
Asking Alexa these questions will give you an idea of how much oil you’ll need to order and when! Having Alexa connected to the Smart Oil Gauge app is a great way to know how much oil you need! You won’t even have to open up the app! Just be sure to ask her regularly!
Utilizing Alexa and the Smart Oil Gauge will give you so much convenience and piece of mind!
Google Home Compatibility
If you have a Google Home device instead of an Amazon Alexa, then you might be wondering about home compatibility. The Smart Oil Gauge did have Google Home compatibility at one point. However, in May of 2023, Google decided to discontinue conversational-based actions on their Google Home devices. This rendered the Smart Oil Gauge incompatible with Google Home Devices.
Utilizing Smart Oil Gauge with Alexa
Combining the Smart Oil Gauge and Alexa is a great way to be in control of your oil usage and level! Being able to ask Alexa how much oil you have without finding the need to open up the app is incredibly useful! You won’t even have to walk down to the basement either!
With the added benefit of our FuelSnap integration, you’ll be able to quickly and effectively be able to order oil when you need it! You’ll be able to get the best prices available to you at the press of a button on your phone!
On heating oil tanks, there are a couple of different ways to monitor your fuel, mostly through a variety of fuel gauges that are installed on the tank. However, there are some more traditional ways to keep track of your heating oil level. While heating oil gauges are the primary way to monitor your level, dipsticks are also common as well. In this article, I’ll be covering all the different ways to monitor your fuel oil level!
Float Gauges
These types of gauges are the most common that you’ll see. They are typically mounted on most steel tanks. They function with a metal arm that tends to move up and down inside the tank. At the end of this arm is a little cork bobber. This bobber floats on the top of the oil level. The end of the arm connects to a plastic cylinder with a colorful disc on the top of the tank. The disc will line up with marks to indicate the level of the oil. This tends to range from full, 3/4, 1/2, empty, and more!
Float gauges will tend to look like this. Sometimes by themselves or like shown above! They typically come included with your steel tank.
However, these gauges do have one flaw. That tends to be the arm and float itself. As the gauge itself gets older, the bobber can get covered in sludge and oil. This sludge and oil can cause the float to get coated in sludge, which will cause the float gauge to be less accurate over time. This arm can also break and occasionally get caught on the side of the tank, which can make it stuck.
Roth tanks have a float gauge similar to the standard. However, theirs tends to look like a meter with a string and a plastic bobber on the end. Where the plastic bobber sits will determine where the float’s needle points to determine the oil level.
This is a Roth Float Gauge! This is also known as a string gauge!
Smart Oil Gauge
Another type of gauge that can read your level is the Smart Oil Gauge! This gauge is a wireless tank monitor that will keep track of your usage data and your tank level! All you need is a stable WIFI connection for the gauge to work! This gauge works off of a 2.4ghz WIFI connection, and uses an ultrasonic signal to determine how much oil is in the tank!
The Smart Oi Gauge comes in two different models. There’s the standard Smart Oil Gauge and the Duo Smart Oil Gauge! The Duo is our more accurate device and is a dual-sensor device. The dual sensor structure gives it a larger operating range of 0-72″. This gauge can be used on almost any tank. So long as it doesn’t have a raised fitting or a 1.25″ NPT fitting. The Standard Smart Oil Gauge is only a single sensor device and has an operating range of 8″-72″. This means that the sensor has a little bit of sensitivity at the top of the tank when it’s full. But the standard model can be installed on tanks with fittings of 1.25″ NPT. You can read about all the differences between the two here.
The Smart Oil Gauge is a useful tool that tells you all the information you need about your level and usage through our app!
Stick Measurements
Using a stick to measure your tank is uncommon nowadays. But it’s not completely unheard of! While it’s not a heating oil gauge, using a stick for measuring oil level is a requirement on underground tanks. Unlike standard above-ground tanks, underground tanks can’t have a float gauge or a Smart Oil Gauge installed on them. This is because the pipes that stick up out of the ground are too tall, which will prevent the float gauge and the Smart Oil Gauge from reading correctly!
On underground tanks, the best thing to do is to use a stick measurement. This can be either a yardstick or a tape measure. This will help you get an idea of how much oil is in the tank itself. Sticking these tanks will also help you plan to order oil accordingly, depending on what the sick measurement reads.
Yard sticks are some of the best ways to measure your oil in your tanks! But on underground tanks, it’s more of a requirement!
Conclusion
There are a multitude of different ways to monitor your heating oil level! While the Smart Oil Gauge gives you usage data as well, float gauges and sticking the tanks are still reliable! The nice thing about the Smart Oil Gauge is that you can use it alongside the float gauge! You’ll be able to monitor your level with the classic float gauge and have the level and usage data at the tip of your fingertips!
While you cannot use heating oil gauges on underground tanks, in dire situations, you can use the stick to measure the level of oil in the standard tank. If the Smart Oil Gauge is offline or the float is broken, you can always stick to measuring the tank to get an idea of how much oil is in the tank, so that you know when to order!
Summer is on the horizon! Which means not only warm, sunny weather but also low oil usage and prices! This makes it a perfect time to discuss heating oil usage this summer! During the summer, you’re probably not going to be thinking too much about heating oil. However, summer doesn’t last forever, so it’s important to have home heating in the back of your mind. During the summer, you might see yourself not using any oil at all, or just for hot water. If you use oil during this time, keep reading, because I’m going to go over what you need to know about heating oil this summer!
Hot Water Usage
In the United States, there are four major ways to heat your home. Those are heating oil, propane, natural gas, and electricity. While they are all different in one aspect, they do have one similarity. That’s being able to provide hot water to the home. If your home uses just one of these to heat the house, then you’re in luck because you can double up and use one of these four to heat hot water! Some homes might have heating oil as their main way to heat the home. However, some homes will also have electric or propane to heat their water! This is a bit more uncommon as most homes will have their main heat source do both, but it’s not unheard of!
This is an example of using heating oil in the summer and for hot water. As you can, usage is very minimal and even non-existent.
During the summer, if you’re only using heating oil for hot water, then you don’t really need to pay too close attention to your usage. Once the summer weather starts to kick in around mid-late May, your oil level doesn’t become of concern. Your usage will tend to be much lower during the summer. An average-sized home will burn less than a gallon of oil a day for just hot water, and most of the time, the amount you’re burning is minimal.
However, around late September to early October is the time when heaters start to come back on. This’ll mean that the cool fall weather is starting to show up. Most homes will then start to turn on their heaters in preparation for the cold temperatures. But until then, you don’t have to worry about high usage.
Usage for Heat and Hot Water
If your home uses it for both hot water and heat, then I strongly suggest you monitor your yearly usage. You’re going to be burning more oil than you think, and getting a tool like a Smart Oil Gauge will help you track usage and level data more accurately. Using a Smart Oil Gauge gives you an extra layer of protection from running out and unexpected changes to your usage. You can even enable alerts to notify you of a fill-up or when you’re running low! With the Smart Oil Gauge, you don’t have to fear running out!
The Smart Oil Gauge is a useful tool to help you monitor your tank level and usage! Simply install it and the gauge itself will be able to read everything through the app!
When you use heating oil for both heat and hot water, you’re going to end up burning much more oil than you normally would if you were using it for just hot water. But during the summer, your usage is going to be low. Summer temperatures in Danbury tend to range from the high 70s to the low 80s. During that time, you won’t be running your heat, but hot water is something that you might use. I mentioned this previously, but you’re likely to burn less than a gallon of oil just for hot water. However, if you live in a household with multiple people and everyone is taking regular showers and baths, then you’re likely going to be burning closer to a gallon per day.
Unlike the previous example, this is an example of oil being used for both heat and hot water during summer and winter. You can see that usage is much higher!
When Should You Order Oil?
If you burn oil during the summer for hot water, you might see yourself having minimal usage. However, if you turn off your furnace, then you won’t have any usage at all! This means that you can fill up your tank at the end of the season when prices are lower, so that you can be prepared for the next season!
Oil prices tend to drop significantly during the summer months, which usually makes prices cheaper. However, with the Iran War, prices are currently uncertain. Regardless, ordering a fill-up around 1/4 tank is the best thing to do when you need a fill-up! Using our FuelSnap website will help you prepare for your next delivery and get the lowest price possible!
With summer just around the corner, it’s a good idea to start planning your heating oil budget for this upcoming winter! This past winter was definitely an intense one, so hopefully this next one isn’t as bad! But, I imagine with the warm weather we’ve been having and the nice weather on the horizon, heating oil is the last thing on your mind!
Plus, with high prices at the time of writing, creating a budget plan will help you be prepared! Prices are currently ranging from around 4.50 to 4.79 per gallon in Danbury! They’ve been erratic since the start of the war with Iran. But now’s a good time as any for you to start budgeting because of the high prices!
Your Annual Usage
If you’ve been following FuelSnap for a while, you’ll know I’ve covered this topic before. To keep it short, your annual usage is determined by two major factors. These factors are the size of your house and daily usage. The bigger your house is, the more you’re going to be burning. But if your daily usage is low or non-existent, then you might find yourself burning much less annually! Your home’s insulation also plays a major role in this as well! Well-insulated homes will tend to hold heat better than homes that aren’t, which tends to result in low usage. But, if your boiler is heating oil-based, then it’s best to be aware that you might see yourself burning upwards of at least 100 gallons extra a year.
Keeping that all in mind, the average home will burn roughly at least 900 gallons of oil a year. But if your home is bigger and/or older, then your annual usage will be different. What your usage will be daily, weekly, monthly, and annually is important to know. Which is why getting a Smart Oil Gauge is incredibly useful. Using a Smart Oil Gauge will help you keep track of your usage and oil level! Otherwise, you can keep track of your deliveries and use that to calculate your usage between fill-ups.
This is an example of a yearly graph for annual usage in CT based on home size. The Larger homes will tend to burn more oil in the long run.
Budgeting by Price
Heating Oil Prices have had a lot of fluctuation over the past couple of years. Especially in 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, and now with the war with Iran, prices are all over the place! This has caused oil prices to not have stable prices or consistency. While before the war with Iran, prices wouldn’t normally get above $4, that’s not the case anymore. Average prices right now are around $4.50 a gallon! Some dealers are even charging upwards of around $5 per gallon or more! If you fill your standard 275-gallon oil tank, a complete fill-up might cost you over $1200!
Due to these high prices, it might be a better idea not to do as many fill-ups. With the current prices, ordering less oil would be the best thing to do when budgeting. When the tank gets to around half a tank of oil, ordering 100 gallons could help you save money and ensure that you have oil on the way. It’s currently spring, so you might not need to order as frequently or as much as you would in the winter. But at over $4 a gallon, ordering 100 gallons at around half a tank will help you save on costs. On a standard 275-gallon tank, ordering 100 gallons will only cost you $450. This is much cheaper than a complete fill.
Making a Savings Plan
If you’re not burning oil now, then it’s the perfect time to order oil and save some money. If you’ve filled up your tank before this spring season, then you won’t need to worry about ordering oil to top off your tank! However, coming up with a savings plan for the winter is something that you should consider! Putting a set amount of money aside with each paycheck will be very helpful for you long-term! Doing this will help give you a set of funds that’s only used for heating oil! I tend to do this when planning a vacation or major event. It’s a great way to budget and prepare yourself!
You can determine how much you’ll need by comparing your last season’s usage data. If you burned a lot of oil last season, then you might need to put more aside than you initially thought. For example, if you get paid biweekly, setting aside $100 a paycheck over the course of spring or summer will mean that you’ll have $1200-$1400 saved by the time heating oil season starts in early to late October. If prices are back to normal by then, you should be able to get a couple of deliveries out of that much money.
This is the current price per barrel of crude oil. It peaked in early April, but had a steady drop shortly after the Strait of Hormuz was reopened.
Conclusion
How you budget for heating oil season is completely up to you. However, it’s always a good idea to start saving money for heating oil season. I would strongly suggest starting to put money aside for the next heating oil season. Having this extra money aside strictly for heating oil will be very beneficial.
However, with the current prices of heating oil on the rise, ordering less oil for now is a smart idea. While typically we recommend ordering at a quarter tank, with how prices are now, ordering at half a tank is a better decision financially.
Are you moving into a house with propane heating, or thinking about making the switch to propane? If you are, then you might’ve been asked by a provider if you want to buy your tank outright or rent it. Unlike heating oil tanks, where you own the tank most of the time, it’s not that simple with propane. There are a couple of other things that you might need to know. But don’t worry, I’ll be covering everything that you need to know, including the pros and cons!
Whatare the Differences and Similarities?
Propane is very different from heating oil. But they do have some similarities. For example, while most forms of heating nowadays don’t require a delivery, heating oil and propane still do. While it’s not necessary for forms of heat such as electric and natural gas, you must get a fill-up to heat the home when using either propane or heating oil. Additionally, they also need to be stored in tanks. While heating oil tanks tend to have a variety of tank sizes and styles, propane tanks tend to have one tank size. They tend to look like long, round capsules. Heating oil and propane are also both stored as liquids and are turned into a gaseous state when heated/released.
One of the biggest differences between the two is the ownership of the tanks. Typically, with heating oil, the homeowner will own the tank. Most of the time, you’re even able to buy the tanks from Home Depot or Lowe’s. However, when it comes to propane tanks, you usually rent them from the provider. But the downside to this is that you can only order from the dealer that you’re renting the tank from. Due to state propane laws, it’s often illegal to fill another provider’s tank. However, it is possible to own your propane tank! You can tend to buy smaller ones from Home Depot or Lowe’s, but these tend to be for outdoor grills. For larger capacity propane tanks, you’ll need to contact a dealer.
This is an example of a medium sized propane tank. You can both buy and rent these sizes.
The Positives and Negatives of Owning a Propane Tank
The Pros
Freedom to Order: Owning your propane tank will give you the flexibility to shop around. This’ll allow you to get the best prices available to you and check out multiple dealers to see what their prices are.
No Consumption Minimum: Most propane providers will often have a minimum amount of propane that you have to consume to be a customer of theirs. Most companies do enforce this, but if you own your tank, you don’t have to worry about that consumption minimum.
Underground Installations: When renting a propane tank, you usually have to make it visible on your property. However, if you own it, you can install it underground! This will stay hidden, and unlike underground steel tanks, it won’t be a problem for the environment as it gets older!
The Cons
Expensive Upfront Cost: When you’re buying your propane tank, you’re buying it outright. This often means that you’re paying the full price of the tank. Which will tend to be a bit more expensive at first. These tanks tend to be around $1,000 at least!
You’re Responsible for Tank Maintenance: When you own something, whether it be electronics, equipment, or a home, maintenance is your responsibility. This is true as well for propane tanks. You might need to hire a propane service to help maintain the tank if you own it.
The Positives and Negatives of Renting a Propane Tank
The Pros
No Fees Upfront: When you own the tank and buy it outright, you’ll typically have fees upfront. However, when you rent the tank, there are no upfront fees! The dealer will also come and install it, free of charge!
Maintenance Falls on the Dealer: When you’re renting your tank, maintenance isn’t something that you have to worry about! If your tank needs to be repaired or replaced, your dealer is responsible for that! They’ll also service the tank when necessary.
The Cons
Overall Cost: As time goes on, renting a tank becomes much more expensive. This is usually because your dealer owns the tank. You won’t be able to shop around for lower prices and must adhere to the dealer’s prices. In most states, it’s illegal to fill another propane dealer’s tank. Even if it’s legal, out of courtesy for the other dealer, most providers won’t fill someone else’s tank.
Annual Usage Minimum: Most providers tend to have high prices and rental fees. But they give you an option to avoid this. Typically, this tends to be counteracted by an annual usage minimum. This requires you to burn a certain amount of propane a year to get those “benefits”. But I’m using the word benefits loosely here.
No Price Flexibility: If another provider has a gallon of propane cheaper than yours, you won’t be able to buy from them. When renting from a provider, you’re locked into ordering from them. This doesn’t give you control of prices and where you can buy from.
Propane will be delivered to the home in a truck like this.
What Should you Go With?
When choosing between buying your tank outright and renting it, there are a couple of questions that you have to ask yourself. I’ve listed the necessary questions to ask yourself before making this decision.
Are You Staying at this home for a long time? If you’ve lived in your current home for a long time already and have no intention of moving, or you plan on making this home your long-term residence, then buying your propane tank makes the most sense. This will help save on costs throughout the years.
How Much Propane Will You Be Using? If you plan on using the propane tank for just heat and cooking, then it doesn’t make sense to buy the tank outright. It would make more sense to rent the propane tank. However, if you plan on using it for heat as well, then buying the tank would be a good idea!
Are There A lot of Suppliers in your Area? If you have access to multiple suppliers in your area, then yes, buying your tank is a good idea. This is because you’ll have multiple dealers in your area to order from and will have the freedom of choice. But if you don’t have many providers in your area, renting the tank is the best option.
Ultimately, deciding to rent or buy your tank is completely up to you. Your circumstances will be the determining factor for buying or renting. If your home came with an underground propane tank, then you’re in luck because you’re at an advantage. But the decision is up to you and will be determined by the availability of dealers, location, and personal preference.
John D Rockefeller is a name that might ring a bell. He was the nation’s first billionaire and the founder of the Standard Oil Company. It was a dominating force in the American oil industry and became one of the first big trusts in the nation. During this time, he was a very big advocate for Kerosene oil. Not only did he personally use it, but he also revolutionized the oil industry by pushing for Kerosene during the early 1900s.
But why do I bring this up? Nowadays, kerosene isn’t as popular as heating oil. However, it’s still used today not only as a way of heating, but also for jet fuel, as it derives from crude oil. In this article, I’ll be going over what you need to know about it, such as the basics and what’s important.
What Exactly is Kerosene?
Like all fuels, Kerosene is a combustible liquid that is used for heating. It’s got a flashpoint of 100-150 degrees Fahrenheit. But it will also gel when the temperature gets around or below -40 degrees. This is vastly different from heating oil that’ll usually start to gel around 16 degrees Fahrenheit. Unlike heating oil, you can store it in much colder environments than you would with heating oil.
Back in the 1900s, kerosene lamps were commonly used as a source of light.
There are, however, different grades of kerosene. The two most common grades are 1-K and 2-K grades. They have a few differences and will burn somewhat differently. 1-K, for example, is often known to be cleaner and often has fewer toxins and deposits. This makes it more suitable for usage in lanterns. However, this tends to be a more premium form of Kerosene. However, 2-K grade is considered the standard, and is the form that’s often used for heating with indoor heating and stoves.
What Do You Use Kerosene For?
In the 1800s, Kerosene was used as a form of powering light fixtures. Back then, it was very popular; however, once heating oil entered the market, prices for kerosene eventually dropped as heating oil became more popular. Another killer for kerosene was the introduction of electric heating. As it became more common, the use of kerosene lamps dwindled due to their need for fuel, which electric lamps didn’t need.
In today’s day and age, kerosene is most commonly used for heating and jet fuel. Particularly, high-grade kerosene is the most important ingredient. In the US, we rarely use it as a source of heating. However, some low- and middle-income countries still use it for cooking and electricity.
What Makes Kerosene Different from Other Forms of Heating?
Heating Oil and Kerosene do have their similarities. They’re both used for heat, and they derive from crude oil. However, there are some very important differences between these two types of oil that you must be aware of. Firstly, you cannot switch between the two. This is because their respective systems are not fit to be able to burn the other fuel. Additionally, they’re stored differently and have different storage requirements.
Their different storage requirements stem from their different flashpoints. Heating Oil’s flashpoint is a little higher than kerosene, which makes it safer to use. The flash point of heating oil sits at 150 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes it much safer to use, especially outside. However, kerosene’s flashpoint is 100 degrees Fahrenheit. This means that kerosene is actually much more dangerous to use than heating oil!
However, kerosene stands out compared to other forms of heating with its lower freezing point. The lower freeze point makes it harder for the oil itself to freeze and gel. Heating oil has a higher freeze point at 16 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes it more suited for colder environments.
Can Heating Oil Tanks Use Kerosene?
When it comes to what you can and can’t do with kerosene, there’s a very thin line that you have to work with. While heating oil is similar enough to kerosene to be able to be mixed with it, you’re not going to be able to replace heating oil in your system with kerosene. If your heating oil tank is full, and you throw a little bit of it into the tank, then that’s fine. However, filling up an empty heating oil tank with kerosene will damage your system in the long-term.
Kerosene is typically stored in fuel canisters that are blue. This helps differentiate it between gasoline and diesel.
While adding kerosene to your heating oil tank might sound odd, it’s used as a sort of cleanser. This will help clean out any sludge or anything in the lines that could be hindering usage. Adding it to your heating oil also helps as a way to prevent the oil from gelling, as its freeze point is much lower than that of heating oil! Mixing it in is a great way to help your oil maintain its liquid state in the cold weather.
However, if you ever run out of oil, NEVER put Kerosene into your tank. If this does happen, I would strongly suggest going to your local gas station and grab around 5-10 gallons of diesel. This’ll hold you over until your next delivery arrives.
Switching from Heating Oil to Kerosene
Making the switch to kerosene from heating oil is difficult. If you want to make the switch, then you’ll need to have an entire system overhaul. This includes swapping out all the parts in your system from heating oil parts to kerosene-specific parts. This not only costs money, but also significant time. If you live in a cold environment such as Alaska, then this is strongly recommended! The cold temperatures up there are ideal for storing kerosene. This is often due to its low freeze point and slightly lower flash point than heating oil!
Most importantly, it’s not as readily available as heating oil, especially in the northeast. Making the switch to kerosene from heating oil is very uncommon. If you plan on making the switch, then it’s important to know if you have a supplier in your area to warrant making the switch. But if you have it near you, it’s better as an additive.
Conclusion
Kerosene was very popular in the early 1900s. However, it’s been outshone by heating oil and electric heat as the years have gone on. While it has a lower freeze point, it’s more dangerous to use due to its lower flash point compared to heating oil. Its scarcity also makes it harder to come by, which makes it difficult as a long-term heating solution.
However, it still finds its uses in colder environments such as Alaska, and it is used primarily as an ingredient in jet fuel. If you live in the northeast or somewhere with hot summers, it’s best to avoid using it as a source of heat. But, it’s completely safe to use as an additive! If you wish to make the switch, make sure that you have a local supplier that you’re able to order from!
Happy Heating
Hunter
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
