Hunter Geist, Author at FuelSnap

How Long Will Five Gallons of Oil Last You?

November 4, 2026July 24, 2026

It’s currently early November, which means heating oil is starting to become crucial for us to get through winter! While it’s primarily used for heating during the winter, it’s got a variety of different uses! However, because of the cold temperatures, heating oil becomes very sought after this time of year. This means that heating oil prices are going to be higher, and scheduling deliveries won’t be as easy. So, if your tank’s low, you might be asking, “How Much Will Five Gallons of Oil Last Me?”

However, if you’re low on oil, then place an order immediately! Getting yourself on your dealer’s schedule so you don’t run out is crucial! If you’re about to run out, or you’ve got less than 15 gallons of oil, run to the gas station and get about 5-10 gallons of diesel. This’ll help hold you over until the delivery arrives.

There are a lot of things that can contribute to your usage. Five gallons is not a lot of oil at all, and during the winter months, you might not even get a full day out of five gallons! But during the summer, you’re going to get a couple of days out of five gallons. But it’s still important to ask yourself the following questions:

What’s your Heating Oil being used for?
What’s the size of your home?
Is your home properly insulated?
Are there any drafts in your home?
How warm does your home tend to be?
What’s the weather like outside?
Is your boiler well maintained?

Improving Insulation

Good insulation is one of the best ways to make heating oil last! Well-insulated homes can hold heat for a longer period of time than those that aren’t. One of the best ways to improve insulation is to seal up any drafts in the home. This can include covering up any doors or windows with draft stoppers. On older homes, you can even wrap plastic wrap over your single-pane windows to act as a makeshift second pane! Proper insulation will absolutely decrease your heating oil usage and make it last!

Insulation is important for your home to maintain heat! Usually, insulation is put in when the house is built. But you can always add more to other sections of the home or even the attic!

Sealing Windows with Drafts

If your windows are drafty, then they absolutely could be affecting your usage and will result in higher usage. If the home can’t maintain the heat your system is producing, then your system will work harder to produce more. That heat will then escape your home through the draft, which repeats the cycle. Most older windows are single-pane, and they don’t properly hold the heat in as well. I mentioned this earlier, and while it might seem silly, putting plastic wrap around the single-pane windows will help provide a makeshift dual pane!

While it isn’t a cheap solution, you can always update your drafty windows and replace them with new ones. But replacing your outdated windows with new double-pane windows can be helpful to reduce your overall usage. While newer windows will be less drafty, sometimes newer double-paned windows will be able to trap air inside them! This acts as another form of insulation!

Drafty windows can be a pain! Especially if they’re causing your oil usage to increase!

Using Heating Oil For Your Home

During the colder months of the year, heating oil becomes very sought after. This is because cold weather is more common now. Sure, we might have a warm day here or there, but most of the time, the weather this time of year will be cold. This results in your system working much harder to get the house to a warm and comfortable temperature. Now, if your home is larger, your consumption will be higher as the system tries to heat the overall larger surface area. Your boiler/furnace will work much harder to accomplish this. Higher usage overall will be the result.

The time of year is a major cause for usage. Right now it’s mid-autumn, which means that temperatures are fairly cold outside. Not as cold as winter, but enough for us to want to start using heating oil! But it’s not cold enough to warrant us burning 5-7 gallons like in winter! In the fall, you might see yourself burning between 3-4 gallons a day on average, just to keep us warm! But, during the summer, you might see yourself burning no oil at all! If you use heating oil for hot water, you’ll likely only burn around half a gallon daily.

How Temperature Outside Affects Usage

The temperature outside plays a major role when it comes to heating oil usage. In Connecticut, it typically averages around 30-35 degrees during the winter. Average homes of 2000 square feet will tend to use an average amount of 5-7 gallons of oil daily during the winter. However, during the summer, when temperatures average between 70-80 degrees, you’re only going to use around .5-1 gallons daily. That’s only if you use it for hot water. If not, then you won’t end up burning any oil at all!

Your Annual heating oil usage is determined by the size of your home as well as the temperature outside!

Looking at the above graph will give you an idea of the average amount of annual oil consumption in Danbury, CT. This is based on low, mid, and high usage. In Connecticut, we often see low temperatures in the winter. The lower the temperature outside is, the higher your usage will be.

Your Thermostat Reduces Consumption

Your thermostat is actually a great tool to use during the winter. You can often set it at a specific temperature to make your usage optimal. Ideally, this tends to be around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. During the winter, this is a perfect temperature that’s not too hot, but also not too cold. This’ll keep you comfortable during this time of year! But if you live with your parents, just make sure you don’t change the temperature for them!

WIFI thermostats are a bit more modern, but boy, are they useful! You can set the thermostat to any temperature you’d like, simply from your phone! Most of them have an app that you can download from your phone’s app store to be able to control the temperature wirelessly! If you’re not home, then you can always lower the temperature in the house so you don’t burn unnecessary oil! However, if you have pets, you won’t be able to lower the heat.

Boiler and Furnace Efficiency

Even if your home has good insulation, that won’t matter if your system isn’t efficient! You should make sure that your system is checked annually to ensure everything is working as it should. Burners tend to have a lifespan of about 30 years. If it’s older than that, it may not be as efficient as you think. Your system might not be as reliable as you think! If your system is older than 30 years, it’s likely not very efficient. While it’s expensive, replacing your boiler or furnace will help increase your system’s efficiency! It’s always good to have an HVAC technician come out and take a look at your system. Their expert opinion will be a great way to make sure your system is reliable!

The Smart Oil Gauge

While all the above-mentioned ways are great ways to mitigate oil consumption, getting a Smart Oil Gauge puts you ahead of the game! You’ll be able to properly keep track of your heating oil consumption and usage. All you’ll need is a stable WIFI connection and the app installed on your phone. After you’ve got your gauge connected to the WIFI, it’ll keep track of your usage and level data based on day, week, month, and year. Similar to a WIFI thermostat, you’ll be able to track your level and usage all on your fingertips! Plus, you will get notified as to when you need a delivery, when you get one, and when your tank level is low! You can purchase one here. The gauge works off WIFI, and as long as the device is set up for the right tank size, the gauge will be able to upload accurate readings.

This is a picture of my Smart Oil Gauge! You can see it sitting on my tank. It’ll upload readings of the level and usage to the app on my phone!

So How Long Will Five Gallons of Oil Last you?

Depending on what time of year it is and what your usage is, five gallons of oil could last you either a full day or even a couple of days! However, your usage and insulation play a major role in this! The better your home is insulated, the longer it’ll be able to hold onto the heat your system produces. Covering up any drafts that might be causing heat to leak out of the home is another great way to lower your overall usage.

But ultimately, the best thing to do to determine how long five gallons will last you is to get a Smart Oil Gauge! Each home is different, and what might last me a couple of days might not last you a couple of days! The Smart Oil Gauge will be able to monitor your usage and tank level, so that you know how much oil you have and how long it’ll last you until you run out or need a fill-up!

Happy Heating!

Hunter

The Effect Halloween has on Heating Oil Usage

October 28, 2026July 24, 2026

Halloween is coming up! This means trick-or-treating with your kids, costume parties, and heating oil season! Halloween marks the unofficial start of heating oil season! This is around the time temperatures start to get colder, which causes us to turn on our heating systems and start burning oil! If you haven’t already, now’s the time when you’re going to need to turn on your system. If you’ve got plans for Halloween this weekend, then you might already have started preparing for that! But don’t forget about your heating oil usage, because your upcoming plans might affect your usage!

Outside Temperatures On and After Halloween

While September 22nd marks the official start of fall, the cold temperatures outside start to creep up on you towards mid to late October. Fall last year started pretty warm, but then we got slammed by two major snowstorms in the winter!

Trick-or-Treating in the cool fall air is part of what makes Halloween so enjoyable!

However, temperatures outside on and around Halloween can tend to be a little erratic. Most of the time, the weather will tend to be cool. Between 30 and 55 degrees seems to be the sweet spot. However, if you have plans to go trick-or-treating with your family, keep an eye on the weather! One year when I was a kid, we got completely rained out! Due to these chilly temperatures, you might see yourself starting to burn oil during this time!

Shifting Prices

Halloween is the last day in October, which means that this is when temperatures start to get cold. This is also around the time oil dealers start to increase prices. When it starts to get cold outside, heating oil becomes more in demand than it was in September. You’re going to want to be warm once it starts getting cold out! Oil companies know that, and they will start to slowly increase their prices as we make our way into the winter. Especially around Thanksgiving and Christmas! That’s when prices tend to get the most expensive! But you can always check prices on FuelSnap to know when they’re the cheapest!

Around Halloween, though, is when the prices start to shift. Whether it starts to get cold out is when the prices begin to change. But some Halloweens can be colder than others! Back in 2011, we had gotten a nor’easter on Halloween! Heating Oil was being burned, and we had no power! We had a total of 12-18 inches of snowfall that Halloween. But during the Pandemic, Halloween was a freezing 21 degrees outside!

Do Halloween Parties Increase Usage?

While you might see some drastic changes in usage around Thanksgiving and Christmas, it can vastly depend on what you’re doing. For example, if you’re just going trick-or-treating with your family and then coming right home, your usage might be relatively low. But if you’re having a Halloween Party or Costume party, then your usage might be much higher than it’d normally be based on the number of people coming. The larger the gathering, the more oil you could see yourself using!

Halloween Parties are a tradition, especially if you have kids! So this might be a very heavy day for heating oil for you!

But if you’re having a couple of people over, say a family friend and their kids, or even just some of your kids’ friends for trick-or-treating and a party, your usage could be mild or high! Outdoor activities such as pumpkin carving, apple dunking, or even other general outdoor activities could help mitigate your usage slightly!

Halloween is the Unofficial Start to Heating Oil Season

While there’s no official start to heating oil season, it tends to be between September and October. However, Halloween tends to be the threshold for when prime season begins. This is around the time of year when temperatures get colder, so heating oil prices and usage increase slowly over time before we get into peak season in mid to late November and into December! But Halloween is on the horizon, and temperatures are pretty mild right now. So be sure to enjoy whatever you’re doing this Halloween, and be sure to make the most of it!

Happy Halloween!

Hunter

Smart Oil Gauge: Setting Up the Proper Tank Size

October 21, 2026July 24, 2026

The Smart Oil Gauge is an accurate and reliable wireless tank monitor! It’ll give you accurate readings for both your usage and level data! However, the most important thing to know regarding the Smart Oil Gauge is its tank configuration! If the gauge isn’t set up for the proper tank size, then it won’t be accurate. This is very important for the gauge’s functionality! I’ll be going through how to make sure that the Smart Oil Gauge is set up for the right tank size!

Compatible Tanks

Tank compatibility for the Smart Oil Gauge is very important. The device needs to be on the exact tank size that you have for your level and usage data to be accurate. So if you’re setting up the gauge and you don’t see your tank size showing up on the tank styles, then please contact our tech support, and you’ll be able to get a custom tank ID for your tank size!

The most common tank sizes that the Smart Oil Gauge is installed onto are Granby steel tanks and Roth tanks. However, Roth installations require our Roth Adapter. While most Granby tanks are usually 275 or 330, Roth tanks have a bit more variety. If you look at the label on the side of the tank, you’ll see what size tank it is. This tends to range from 110 (400L) gallons all the way up to 400-gallon tanks! Even if it’s not displayed on the app, we have the custom tank ID programmed for each Roth tank style!

However, the Smart Oil Gauge is not compatible with Roth 1500L (400-gallon) tanks. This is because these tanks have an interior support baffle that prevents the tank from bowing in on itself. The gauge’s signal will bounce off the internal baffle, resulting in being unable to read beyond half a tank!

These are the Roth tanks. The Smart Oil Gauge gauge is compatible with all of them except the 1500L.

Additionally, tanks that are fiberglass or underground are not compatible with the Smart Oil Gauge. Fiberglass tanks are common in Canada. These tanks tend to have a lip on the bottom of the fitting. The Smart Oil Gauge will often catch this lip, causing the gauge to read “Full”. On Underground tanks, due to the tall pipes sticking out of the ground, the Smart Oil Gauge’s signal won’t be able to reach the oil level. This’ll cause the gauge to read only “Full” like on Fiberglass tanks. On underground tanks, it’s best to use a stick measurement, such as a yardstick.

Setting Up the Tank Size

After you’ve determined what size tank your Smart Oil Gauge will be installed on, we’ll need to set it up in the app. The tank sizes available on the app are Granby 275 & 330-gallon tanks. You can configure these in both horizontal and vertical orientations. We also have Roth 620L and 1000L tanks available on the app; the other Roth tank configurations are available here. If you have one of these tank sizes, then great! You can simply choose one of those tanks on the tank style screen! Otherwise, if you contact our support with the dimensions of your tank, we can give you a custom tank size! However, on the top right, you will see an option labeled “Advanced”. This is where you will input the custom tank ID and add an offset if you have the gauge installed into an adapter.

Usually, the tank style selection will come up on the initial setup of the Smart Oil Gauge. However, if your gauge is already configured, then you’ll have to go back to that screen. On IOS devices, in the tank detail screen, you’ll see a little gear on the bottom left. Select that and then click on “My Tank” underneath “Sensors”. On Android devices, it’s three dots on the top right, before you press configure. You’ll then be brought to the same “Tools” screen.

Side note: in this same screen, there’s an option labeled “Upload Interval”. This isn’t related to the Smart Oil Gauge tank configuration. However, this is a setting that will determine how often the Smart Oil Gauge is going to upload to the app. It can be set from anywhere between 1 and 24 hours. The more frequently you have it report, the faster it’ll burn through the battery life.

Tank Orientation

I mentioned earlier that there are both horizontal and vertical tank orientations for Granby steel tanks. This is very important. Horizontal tanks tend to be much shorter, usually a little over two feet tall, but are much wider with a flat top. These tend to look like vertical tanks lying on their sides. Vertical tanks tend to be taller (usually around 5ft tall), with flat sides and a rounded top. I’ve added a picture of a side-by-side comparison for your convenience.

This graph represents the levels of oil based on what the float gauge would read on the cylinder. The Smart Oil Gauge will give you more accurate readings.

If your Smart Oil Gauge isn’t set up for the correct tank configuration, then it’ll be inaccurate. Say, for example, you have a horizontal tank, but the gauge is reading for a vertical tank. Your readings won’t be accurate in terms of usage and level. In the worst-case scenario, the Smart Oil Gauge will read that there’s oil in the tank, but in actuality, you’ve run out of oil! While this doesn’t happen normally, it can happen if you haven’t set the correct tank size or your Smart Oil Gauge. To be on the safe side, feel free to set the gauge up next to your tank! You’ll be able to see exactly what your tank looks like during the setup procedure!

The Importance of your Tank Configuration

The tank you have your Smart Oil Gauge set up for is crucial for its functionality! The gauge won’t be accurate unless it’s set up for the proper tank size! There are a multitude of tank sizes out there, so if your tank’s size doesn’t show up on the app, don’t worry! Simply contact our tech support with your tank’s dimensions, and we’ll go ahead and configure a custom tank size for you! You can reach me at 203-456-1499, option 3, from 8 am-5 pm EST, Monday through Friday.

Happy Heating,

Hunter

Propane vs Heating Oil: Underground Tanks

October 14, 2026July 24, 2026

Both heating oil and propane tanks can be installed underground. However, there are quite a few major differences between these underground tanks. If you’ve got an underground heating oil tank, then you’re likely being advised to remove it. However, sometimes you might be advised to install your propane tank underground. But why is that? There are important things to know, and I’ll be covering all of that here.

Underground Heating Oil Tanks

Underground heating oil tanks started popping up in the 1930s. At the time, they were installed underground for convenience and to save space. However, over time, these tanks became known as environmental hazards. Over time, these tanks began to rust and corrode. This started to cause these tanks to fail, resulting in oil spills and leaks. After the 1970s, these tanks no longer became commonly installed. Some states, such as California and New Jersey, have effectively banned the installation of these tanks! However, other states, such as Connecticut and New York, have very strict restrictions and mandates if you want to install an underground tank.

Nowadays, underground heating oil tanks are strongly encouraged to be removed! Especially if they’re older than 30 years old! Tanks of that age will be susceptible to failing, which will lead to thousands of dollars in environmental damage! Some insurance companies might restrict coverage for homes with these tanks because of the liability. You might also have a difficult time getting a mortgage on the home for the same reasons.

Removing or Decommissioning Underground Oil Tanks

If you have an underground heating oil tank, then you should absolutely get it either removed or decommissioned. This will ensure that the tank is no longer a threat to the property or the environment around your home.

Getting the tank removed is an expensive process. This requires a licensed and insured tank removal company to come out to your home and remove the tank for you. They will start by digging in the location where the tank is until they’ve reached it. Once they’ve reached the tank, they will check to see if there’s oil in it. If there’s oil in the tank, they’ll drain it. Otherwise, they will remove the tank. While there’s no exact price point, the removal can cost several thousand dollars. In rare cases of environmental damage, you could see it costing much more!

Alternatively, you can get the tank decommissioned. This is a much cheaper option and often will require filling the tank with a stagnant material such as gravel or sand. The tank must first be cleared of any oil or sludge in the tank to prevent any potential tank malfunctions. Then, the tank is filled with gravel or sand. This will tend to cost anywhere between $1,500 and $3,500.

Underground Propane Tanks

Now, underground propane tanks are much different than underground heating oil tanks. Firstly, there are specific tanks for underground installations. Underground propane tanks are designed to be more heavy-duty than above-ground propane tanks. They’re just as safe to use as well! But to do this, you must own your propane tank. Most propane dealers require that you have your tank installed above ground if you’re renting it. But if you own the tank, you can install it where you wish!

Unlike underground heating oil tanks, underground propane tanks are not considered environmental hazards. This is often because they have not only a protective coating on the tank, but propane is a gas. So if there was a leak, it would not cause damage to the soil or water nearby! But similarly to an underground oil tank, they have a 20-30 year lifespan. That being said, it’s also crucial that these tanks are properly maintained to prevent cracks and leaks. Anode testing is a way that propane technicians test the tank to ensure that it isn’t corroding.

Safe Propane Tank Installation

While underground propane tanks are generally safer than underground heating oil tanks, they still must adhere to the propane tank installation requirements. Like all propane tanks, these tanks must be installed at least ten feet away from the home and away from the driveway or vehicle traffic. Doing so will ensure the safest location for the tank’s installation.

Now, specifically for underground propane tanks, these tanks should be away from any tree roots and shouldn’t be installed near roots. Roots can sometimes scratch the exterior coating of the tank, which could result in faster wear and tear of the tank. In other concerns, sometimes roots can damage or even pierce the tank!

What’s the Verdict?

There’s a stark difference between an underground tank for heating oil and a propane tank. Propane tanks tend to be much safer to use underground than heating oil tanks.

Underground heating oil tanks should be removed ASAP, and you should avoid installing a new one. Especially if your tank is 30 years or older! Depending on which state you live in, it might be outright banned! These tanks can become environmental hazards over a long period of time. Filling these tanks with gravel or sand is another great way to prevent them from becoming problems if you don’t wish to remove them.

Underground propane tanks are a bit safer to use. However, they must be properly maintained over the course of their 30-year lifespan. Properly maintained propane tanks will last a while! Just make sure you follow the guidelines for their installation and ensure that these tanks are safe to be installed and used!

Happy Heating!

Hunter

Heating Oil: How Much You’ll Burn in a Day

October 7, 2026September 2, 2026

Prime heating oil season is just around the corner! Which means high usage is becoming the elephant in the room! Our last winter was brutal. We had a total of two major snowstorms and 54 total inches of snowfall in Danbury! We also saw a surge in the price of heating oil because of the war with Iran. At the time of writing, heating oil is sitting at $4.09 a gallon, while gasoline is sitting around $3.55 a gallon. But you might be asking yourself how much you’ll burn on a day-to-day basis. This is an important question to ask yourself, and the answer is good to know as well!

The winter brings peak heating oil season and high usage! You’ll often be burning more oil than you would during the summer!

How much you’ll be burning is different than what your family or neighbor might be burning. But I’ll be sure to break all that down for you! However, if you did run out of oil, you’re going to want to run to the gas station to get about 5-10 gallons of diesel. If you’ve got an oil delivery coming soon, then you’re going to want something to hold you over until you get your delivery. If you ran out of oil, you’re going to want to check out this blog post here.

The Biggest Contributors to Your Heating Oil Usage

There are a lot of things that contribute to your heating oil usage. However, some play a bigger part in it than others do. Below, I’ve compiled a list of all the major contributors to your heating oil usage and consumption.

Temperature Outside: The biggest and most important factor for high usage is the temperature outside. The colder it is, the more heat your home is going to try to produce. For example, you’ll likely be burning more oil when it’s 25 degrees out, compared to when it’s 50 degrees out!
Temperature Inside: While it might not seem like it, your home’s internal temperature will affect your heating oil usage. Ideally, the most comfortable setting for your home is usually around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Setting the temperature higher, to say 80 degrees, puts more pressure on the system, causing it to try to produce more heat. This’ll ultimately result in more oil consumption.
Home Size: Your home’s size plays a crucial role in your daily consumption. The larger your home is, the more space that the system needs to heat. With more space, there is higher consumption. If your home is only a single-floor house, then it’ll burn much less oil than a home that’s two floors. The same can be said for a smaller home versus a larger home.
Good Insulation: If your home is well insulated, then you won’t have to worry too much about high usage! Your home’s insulation will determine how well it can maintain the heat your system produces. If your house is very well insulated, then you’ll likely have lower usage. But if your insulation isn’t up to date, then you might have higher usage. Your home’s insulation will determine how well you can keep heat in the home!
System Age: The age of your system definitely plays a role in its efficiency. If your system is newer, then it’s going to have good efficiency. Systems that are older than 30 years tend to be less efficient than newer systems. A brand new furnace tends to be well worth the money in the long-term.
What You Use Heating Oil For: What you use your heating oil for will affect how much oil you use. For example, if you’re using heating oil for just hot water and have propane or electric heat, then your usage will be significantly lower than someone who uses heating oil for both heat and hot water. Using heating oil for heat and hot water will, unfortunately, cause you to burn much more oil than if you’re using it for just one or the other.

Impact of Outside Temperature and Size of the Home

I briefly mentioned these above, but they’re so important for usage data that I figured I’d go a bit more in-depth. The size of your home and the temperature outside are probably the most important factors for consumption. The graph below gives you a combined average of usage based on square footage and outside temperatures. While yours might be different, you can get a general idea of how much oil you’ll be burning. But if the temperature is colder outside, you might see yourself burning a little bit more. The same can be said about having good insulation. If you’ve got good insulation, your home will burn much less oil.

During the winter in the Northeast, you’ll burn 5-7 gallons of oil on average. But this is just the average. This isn’t always the exact amount you’ll end up burning during the winter. Each winter is different and results in different usage data!

Now, let’s figure in the size of your tank. Most homes in the Northeast have a 275-gallon tank. Whether or not that’s a Granby or Roth tank, it’s going to be roughly the same. On all tanks, the top couple of inches are left open for airflow. So on both tanks, your true capacity is 250 gallons. If we calculate a full tank with an average usage of 7 gallons per day, that’s roughly 38 days before your tank goes empty! That’s a little bit over a month! This is why it’s so important to find out how much oil you’re burning daily! When your tank gets to about a quarter, you’re going to want to order a fill-up!

Annual Heating Oil Usage

A large majority of those in the Northeast will only use heating oil during the winter. During the summer, your system will most likely be turned off. However, if you use heating oil for hot water as well, then you’ll have some very minor usage during this time! But this only tends to equate to less than a gallon of oil per day.

However, as you probably know, wintertime sees a massive spike in usage. As mentioned previously, the home size and outside temperature will be the primary factors in this. While the outside temperature determines how high you turn your system up, the size of the home influences the amount of space your system tries to heat. During the winter, your system will absolutely be working harder than during the summer.

Tracking Your Consumption with a Smart Oil Gauge

To better understand how much you’re using and when you should order, a Smart Oil Gauge is the perfect way to do that! All you need is a stable WIFI connection for the gauge to connect to. Then, once you set the gauge up, you’ll be able to keep track of your usage through our app. The gauge also gives you the added benefit of telling you how many days until you reach 1/2 tank and 1/4 tank. The gauge then uses these statistics to tell you when and how much oil you should order. The app also offers FuelSnap integration. This integration will allow you to use your Smart Oil Gauge to calculate how much oil you need to order and by when!

Yearly usage on the Smart Oil Gauge app will tend to look like this. You can see that from September until May, heating oil is used pretty often! December and January, you’ll tend to see peak usage!

The Graph in the app will show you level readings and usage data for daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly periods! However, the app only displays data from the previous year. If you want to export data from a previous year, you must log on to the website and export the data to a Microsoft Excel sheet!

Your Monthly Usage

Depending on how big your house is and how cold it is outside, you might burn an average of 5-10 gallons of fuel daily during the winter. Now, while many factors can make this more or less, they tend to vary. Insulation is big on keeping homes warm. But some homes might have poor insulation, which will result in high usage! But with tools like the Smart Oil Gauge and even your float gauge, you can easily track your usage and schedule a delivery within minutes! Plus, it’ll give you a better understanding of your daily usage!

Happy Heating!

Hunter

Frozen Pipes: What to Do

September 30, 2026September 30, 2026

Frozen Pipes can be detrimental to your home. If not taken care of, they can burst, causing thousands of dollars in property damage and flooding. Back in 2023, a friend of mine had a pipe burst in his home, and they were without a living room for a long time! However, to prevent this from happening to you, I’ve compiled a list of things to do if you suspect that you’ve got frozen pipes. However, you must act quickly! Left unchecked, frozen pipes can have devastating consequences.

Frozen pipes will sometimes look like this. However, this is an example when it’s bad!

How to Tell if Your Pipes are Frozen

The first warning sign of a frozen pipe is a decrease in water pressure. Water will typically shoot out of a faucet quickly. However, if the pipes are frozen, the water will start to drip or trickle out of the faucet. In the absolute worst-case scenario, no water will be coming out of the pipes, and the pipes will eventually burst. If you can locate the pipes, you might notice some frost, bulging, and/or strange sounds coming from the pipes. If you have one or all of these, then your pipes are frozen.

What To Do

If you have frozen pipes, the very first thing that you should do is turn on the faucets to a slight trickle. This will help the flow of water and prevent pressure from building up. Turning on the faucets gives a place for the melting ice or water in the pipes to escape from, so the pipes don’t build up pressure and eventually burst.

You can also try applying minor heat to the pipes. You can do this with a hair dryer, hot towels, or even a small heating pad! Doing this will help the ice in the pipes melt, which will give the melting ice a place to go!

But if none of the above work, you should locate the shut-off valve for your water system. When you do this, the water in your house will stop pumping and flowing into the house. This relieves stress on the pipes and prevents pressure buildup. This is especially important if the pipes start leaking, because that’ll help stop more detrimental damage from a pipe that’s on the verge of bursting.

What Happens if You Ignore the Frozen Pipes?

Frozen pipes should NEVER be ignored. Ignoring frozen pipes will eventually lead to a pipe bursting. After a pipe bursts, hundreds of gallons of water can get pushed into your home. This will result in thousands of dollars in property damage. You could be without a specific section of your home for a long period of time while you work on repairs.

In rare cases, burst pipes can go unnoticed during the winter. A pipe can suddenly burst in the spring or the summer if the pipe has been worn, eroded, or cracked. Cracking is common on frozen pipes because if the water is expanding in the pipes, this puts a lot of pressure on them. If enough pressure is put on the pipes, they will eventually crack and burst!

Burst pipes will look like this. You **DO NOT** want your frozen pipes to get to this point!

Contact a Plumber

If you’re unable to do any of this, don’t feel confident or want to play it safe, contact a plumber! Contacting a plumber is the best thing to do when it comes to frozen pipes. There are likely several local plumbers in your area who will be able to come take a look at your pipes and remedy them quickly!

The cost of the plumber will vary depending on their prices. However, the average is between $ 100 and $ 500. However, if your pipes have already burst, then the repair from the plumber could cost upwards of $1500 or more! Not to mention all the property damage that the burst pipe might’ve caused. I’d rather spend $500 on a plumber than $1500+ on repairs!

Conclusion

Frozen pipes are no laughing matter. They can cause serious damage to homes, resulting in flooding and property damage. However, if you contacted a plumber and they can’t come right away, turn on your faucets for a drip to hold you over until they come. But it’s much safer to turn off your water valve. This will be the most effective in preventing a burst pipe. But in a dire situation, this is the best way to handle frozen pipes! Stay vigilant, and you’ll be able to ensure that your pipes don’t burst!

Happy Heating!

Hunter

What Type of Heating Oil Tank Do You Have?

September 23, 2026August 26, 2026

Knowing what type of heating oil tank you have is important! The capacity helps determine how much oil you’ll have in the tank at any given time. It’ll also help you better understand how long your tank will last you. Typically, tanks have a plaque or a label on the side of them. This will tell you a few things about the tank, but primarily, it’ll tell you the manufacturer and the capacity of the tank. However, other than how much oil the tank can hold, the capacity and type of tank give us some important information about other aspects of the tank. Below, you’ll find everything you need to know about the capacities and what other secrets that they tell us!

Standard Steel Tanks

The most common tank sizes for steel tanks tend to be oval-shaped 275 & 330 gallon tanks. These tanks can be in both horizontal and vertical styles. Sometimes, horizontal and vertical tanks can get mixed up with each other. So I’m going to explain how to tell if your tank is horizontal or vertical. This is important, as it can vastly change how much oil you have in the tank! If you have a Smart Oil Gauge, making sure you have the gauge set to the right tank size is crucial for its accuracy!

In the above picture, you’ll see various tanks. You can see both single-tank and double-tank setups. These are some of the most common tank setups in the Northeast. But you’ll notice that on both setups, some tanks are standing upright and the others are lying on their sides. Well, the best way to determine which is which is simple. I tend to look at it that horizontal tanks are flat on top like a table, but have rounded sides. You can see that with the above images of the horizontal tanks. They appear to be both flat on top and rounded on the sides. Meanwhile, the vertical tanks are rounded on top! If you look at the photo, you’ll see the vertical tanks have rounded tops but flat sides! Those are the best ways to remember which is which!

While relatively uncommon now, underground tanks are another type of steel heating oil tank to be aware of. These tanks tend to be 500-gallon cylindrical steel tanks. The only problem with these tanks is that they’re underground. These tanks are uncommon now because they are constantly being removed due to posing an environmental hazard as they get older.

Underground tanks are becoming less and less common. They are constantly being removed and replaced with above-ground tanks.

Steel Tanks – Oil Capacity

All heating oil tanks have a maximum capacity and a true capacity. The maximum capacity of the tank is the max the tank will be able to fill. However, your heating oil tank should NEVER be filled to the maximum capacity. When delivering oil, drivers will fill up until they hear the whistle stop blowing. This tells the driver that it’s time to stop pumping oil into the tank. When they do this, they tend to leave the top 4-6 inches of the tank open for airflow. This prevents the tank from leaking or overflowing! If your tank is filled to the maximum capacity, then you should see about getting it drained a little bit! Filling to the maximum capacity can put the tank at risk of leaking or overflowing!

On a 275-gallon tank, the maximum capacity is 275 gallons. But the true capacity tends to be around 250 gallons. This is when the whistle stops blowing. For a 330-gallon tank, the maximum capacity is 330 gallons, while the true capacity is around 315 gallons.

However, with underground tanks, this is completely different. Because the tank is underground, there’s no whistle/vent alarm. So when filling the tank, the driver has to be extra cautious. You might see them fill the tank for a few seconds before stopping and putting a yardstick in the tank. This helps them get an idea of how much oil is in the tank, so they know when to stop filling. On a 500-gallon underground tank, the true capacity is 500, but the max capacity is likely between 450 and 475, as there’s no set-in-stone way for the driver to determine when it’s time to stop pumping!

Roth Double Wall Tanks

Now, Roth tanks are a little different. These tanks are actually two tanks in one! The outside looks like a big steel rectangle. However, on the inside, there’s a slightly smaller plastic tank. That plastic tank is where the oil sits in the heating oil tank itself. The exterior steel tank is actually an extra form of protection in case the inner tank fails. The outer steel tank will catch any oil that escapes the innermost tank!

Roth tanks have many options. You can see the inner workings on the left. These tanks are durable and reliable!

As you can see in the above picture, there are a few different capacities for these Roth tanks. Typically, they range from 110 gallons up to 400-gallon tanks. However, note that if you have a Smart Oil Gauge, it’s not compatible with the Roth 1500L because of an interior support baffle on the inside of the tank that’ll prevent the Smart Oil Gauge from reading beyond half a tank.

Roth Tank – Oil Capacity

Similar to steel tanks, the Roth tanks will usually have the top couple of inches left open. Like the steel tanks, the top couple of inches are usually left open for airflow. But on Roth tanks, these tend to be much smaller. For example, the max capacity of a Roth 275-gallon tank is roughly 260 gallons. This is because the tanks are a little bit taller, so it evens out, and you’re usually able to fit slightly more in the tank than in a 275-gallon steel tank. That being said, the driver is still only going to fill the tank until they hear the whistle stop!

As I mentioned in the previous section, Roth tanks have a variety of different sizes and styles. This gives you a bit more options for the max capacities of the tank. You can have multiple Roth tanks installed beside each other. But they must be the same size and capacity. However, that’s few and far between. The different types of Roth tanks are listed below with their models and gallon amounts. Usually, you’ll find a sticker on the back or side of the tank with the model and gallon amount.

Roth 400L – 110 Gallons
Roth 620L – 165 Gallons
Roth 1000L – 275 Gallons
Roth 1000LH – 275 Gallons but with a shorter tank
Roth 1500L – 400 Gallons

Non-Standard Tank Sizes

Standard steel oil tanks and Roth tanks are the most common tank sizes in the Northeast. However, non-standard tanks can be a little tricky. Normally, these tanks will also have a plaque or label on the sides of the tanks. They’ll tell you the capacities of the tank and the manufacturer, like normal. However, the maximum and true capacities of the tanks vary. These tanks often have many varying sizes, so the true and max capacities aren’t as easily calculated. The best way to get an idea of what your true capacity is is to use a tank calculator. Simply get the dimensions of the tank and plug them into our tank calculator! Our calculator will be able to tell you how much oil can fit in your tank after you plug in the dimensions! You can find it here.

Determining Your Tank

Finding out what kind of heating oil tank you have is easy! Simply go over to the side of your tank and look for the label or plaque that’s on the side of the tank. That will typically tell you your tank size and capacity! But if you don’t see it, you can simply get the dimensions of the tank and plug them into a tank calculator. You can get the tank’s capacity from there!

However, knowing what tank you have is important to be able to track your usage and get an idea of how much oil you have left in the tank! Doing this will help you keep better track of your usage and oil level, especially if you have a Smart Oil Gauge! Knowing your tank size is crucial for the gauge’s accuracy!

Happy Heating!

Hunter

The Best Ways to Save on Heating Oil Costs

September 16, 2026August 26, 2026

Winter is slowly creeping up on us! Which means oil prices are going to go up as the weather gets colder and more people need heating oil! During the winter, heating oil prices tend to be at their most expensive. Winter also brings the need to order more frequently, which hurts your wallet! But you’re here to save on heating oil costs! So in today’s blog, I’ll make sure you’re prepared for what’s to come by giving you a list of things that you can do to save some money on heating oil!

Heating Oil trucks will come out and deliver frequently in the winter! However, make sure that you’ve got an order on the schedule first!

Canceling Your Automatic Delivery Plan: This might sound strange at first. But the reason for this actually makes complete sense! While it might not seem like it, Automatic Delivery is actually costing you more money in the long run! When it comes to automatic delivery, dealers will tend to charge more per gallon. On average, canceling your automatic delivery plan will save you roughly 50 cents per gallon! This can save you hundreds of dollars every year! Call-by delivery is much cheaper. You can go through the dealer directly, or you can order on our FuelSnap website!
Covering Up Drafty Windows and Doors: Drafty doors and windows are a primary cause of high energy use. These can be really bothersome when it comes to the amount of oil you burn. Drafts will let out the heat that your system is working so hard to create! Covering them up with draft stoppers or plastic wrap on windows will help prevent the hot air from leaving your home!
Fill Up Your Tank During the Summer: This is actually the ideal time to fill up your heating oil tank. During the summer, heating oil prices are at an all-time low. So be sure to take advantage of the low prices! You’ll be able to fill up your tank for much less than you would during the winter! However, you can keep an eye on your level and usage with a Smart Oil Gauge!
Avoid Ordering During the Holiday Season: You should avoid ordering oil during Christmas and New Year’s. The reason for this is that this is when oil is in the highest demand. Prices are high, and delivery availability is low. You should order and fill your tank before the Christmas season! Family gatherings and holiday parties are the number one reason for ordering during this time frame!
Make Sure Your Home Is Well Insulated: Ensuring your home is well insulated is crucial for being able to have a warm home during the summer. Insulation helps the house maintain the heat inside it. This’ll result in lower usage, as the house is better able to maintain the heat.
Getting a WIFI Thermostat: Wi-Fi thermostats are incredibly useful and are an amazing tool to be able to lower your heating oil usage. They’re incredibly useful and will help you be able to better manage your home’s temperature. Most of these thermostats have apps that allow you to control them. This means that you can lower the temperature when you’re away to prevent unnecessary oil usage or raise the heat wirelessly! With one of these, you’ll be able to control your heating oil usage!
Upgrade Your System: This might not apply to everyone, but if your system is old and hasn’t been updated, then it’s a good time to upgrade it! Making sure that your system is up to date is great because it’ll help ensure that your system is functioning properly! Plus, newer systems are more efficient! Which means that it takes less oil to heat the home! You can contact a local HVAC company and see what they recommend for a system upgrade!
When You’re Not Home, Turn Off Your Thermostat: Turning off the thermostat when you’re not home is a great way to lower heating oil costs. The reason being you won’t be burning unnecessary oil when nobody is home! However, if you have pets, then this won’t be an option for you! They’ve got to stay warm too!
Disable the Heat in Rooms that are Unoccupied or Empty: Turning off the heat in rooms that aren’t occupied or rooms that aren’t currently being used is a great way to save on heating oil costs! Make sure that when doing this, you close any vents or radiators in these rooms. Heat won’t be able to enter the room when this is done!
Set up and install a Smart Oil Gauge: Smart Oil Gauges are one of the best tools that you can have on your heating oil tank! They can track usage and level data to ensure that you won’t run out of oil! This is all at the touch of your fingertips through our mobile app! You can also receive alerts when the tank is low and when you get a fill-up! You can purchase one on our website here.

These are the two types of Smart Oil Gauge! The one on the left is the Duo, and the one on the right is the standard model. They both work great to track your heating oil usage and level information!

Concluding Thoughts

Heating oil can be expensive, especially during the winter! But if you follow these ten steps, you’ll become a master at getting the most out of your heating oil! You’ll know the ins and outs of how to prevent your oil from escaping through those drafty windows or burning more than you need to!

Ordering during the summer is especially useful with the lower prices! Canceling your automatic delivery plan is great, too, because it gives you the freedom to order from whoever and wherever you want!

But don’t forget, this is all up to you! If you like having your automatic delivery plan, then don’t cancel it. However, what you choose to do with your heating system is in your hands!

Happy Heating!

Hunter

Smart Oil Gauge: Updating the WIFI Information

September 9, 2026August 26, 2026

If you’re an owner of the Smart Oil Gauge, then you’ll know how important it is for it to have a stable WIFI connection. However, in the off chance that you change your WIFI password, SSID, or router, then you’re going to have to go through updating the WIFI information. But how exactly do you do this? Well, there are a few ways, and by going through one of them successfully, you’ll be able to get the Smart Oil Gauge back online! Just be sure to follow the steps in this article!

Updating your WIFI Information: Why it’s Important

When you make any change to your WIFI, things will be different. The Smart Oil Gauge saves information on the internal computer. This information is typically your SSID and your WIFI password. But changing either one of these invalidates what the gauge has, so you’ll need to update them on the gauge. You won’t have to do this very often, but only when you change your WIFI password, router, or SSID. Please note that even if the router was changed and you keep the SSID and password the same, you will still need to update the credentials on the gauge.

The App Process

Going through the process in the Smart Oil Gauge app is one of the easiest ways to get the gauge reconnected to the WIFI. First, you’re going to want to open the app. When you open up the app, click on the gear on the bottom left (IOS) or the three dots and “Configure” on the top right. Then select “My Tank” under sensors. You’ll be brought to the sensor settings where there’s an option labeled “Reconnect WIFI”. From here, you’ll be brought to the screen that says “Before You Begin” at the top. Press Continue after you’ve gathered your WIFI password and have access to the sensor.

From here, make sure that your phone is connected to the WIFI that you want to connect the Smart Oil Gauge to. Type in your WIFI password and then hit Continue. Then, follow the steps as shown in the GIFs on the “Enter Config Mode” and “Confirm Config Mode” screens.

From here, simply join the CCF network when it pops up and allow the gauge to connect to your WIFI! The gauge should connect properly, and once you’re done with this process, the gauge should have reconnected to the WIFI!

Alternative Process

If the app process is unsuccessful, then you’re going to want to go through the alternate process. This process is a little bit different than the app process. It takes you through the WIFI settings on your phone rather than through the app.

First, you’re going to want to make sure that the Smart Oil Gauge is turned on. If it’s turned on, press and hold the button on the top right for two seconds (one-one thousand, two-one thousand) before letting go. The light on the gauge should be blinking once per second now.

Updating the WIFI information can be done through the alternate process. But unlike the alternate setup, you can leave the email blank and then click Save.

You should now see a network that shows up named “CCF########”. This is the Smart Oil Gauge. You can connect to it by typing in the password “smartoil”. From here, you’ll be brought to a screen that says “Captive WIFI,” and that’s asking for your SSID, password, and email address. If it doesn’t take you to this screen, go to your web browser and type in 192.168.4.1 to get there. Don’t worry, even if your phone says you don’t have internet, you’re still going to be able to connect to this IP address.

Once you’re on the login screen, select your WIFI and it’ll auto-fill the SSID box. From here, type in your WIFI password. Make sure you hit the ” show password button to make sure your password is correct! Once you’ve verified everything is correct, go ahead and hit the save button! The gauge should connect to your WIFI and upload a reading!

Force WIFI G

Now, this is an important setting to know about. If your WIFI network is both 2.4ghz and 5ghz, then there’s a setting you’re going to want to enable called “Force WIFI G”. This setting should be applied to networks with the “Smart WIFI” network setting. In short, Smart WIFI moves devices between 2.4ghz and 5ghz to improve performance. However, the Smart Oil Gauge isn’t compatible with 5ghz, so it’ll disconnect. This setting prevents the gauge from switching to 5ghz.

The WPS Process

WPS stands for WIFI Protected Setup. In short, this is a process that establishes a secure connection between the router and whatever device you’re going to connect it to. This is the last method you can try when attempting to update your WIFI information. Notably, this process doesn’t require using a cell phone or going through the app. Simply go over to the router and look for a button that says WPS or looks like a lock or link. Press the button, and the router should start flashing. Then, press and hold the config button on the gauge for three seconds (count one-one thousand, two-one thousand, three-one thousand). The gauge should then start flashing three times a second quickly. After about thirty seconds, the gauge should stop flashing, and it’ll connect to your router! I go a bit more in-depth on this process in this blog post here.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve made a change to your WIFI network at all, then you must go through one of these processes for updating your WIFI! Don’t worry, though; they’re all simple to go through and easy to follow! Just follow this guide step-by-step to get the gauge reconnected to your WIFI and to get it back online!

But if you’re having trouble going through these processes, please do not hesitate to reach out! I’m always happy to help if you call our support line, and we’ll be able to go through the process together to get the gauge back online! I can be reached at 203-456-1499, option 3, from 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday.

Happy Heating!

Hunter

Running Out of Heating Oil: What to Do

September 2, 2026August 26, 2026

If you’ve found this article, then unfortunately, you’ve run out of oil! It’s currently the end of summer, so running out of oil isn’t the end of the world. However, if this has happened to you during the fall or, even worse, the winter, then it’s time to act fast. If you find yourself in this unfortunate situation, it’s important to remain calm. In this blog post, I’ll be going over everything you need to do to diagnose and resolve this.

I’ll be covering each of these:

Making sure that you’re actually out of oil
Getting an oil delivery ASAP
Putting about 5-10 gallons of diesel in your tank
Restarting your burner

Are you Actually Out of Oil?

Having no heat is not always a result of running out of oil. Sometimes, faulty hardware in the system can cause it not to produce heat. Running out of oil isn’t always the problem here. For example, a couple of years ago, my family and I kept waking up to a cold house, but we had oil! We contacted an HVAC company, and they took a look at our boiler. Turns out it was a broken starter! So it’s important to make sure you’re actually out of oil!

The best way to check if you’re actually out of oil is by using your float gauge. If you removed your float gauge for a Smart Oil Gauge, then you can look at the readings on the app, or you can stick the tank. However, when using the float gauge, you’ll want to carefully remove the cylinder from the gauge. From here, slowly and carefully push down on the colorful disc. If there’s oil in the tank, it’ll slowly return to normal. If not, then you’ve run out of oil! If you have oil in your tank, you can skip to restarting the burner.

This is a split float and vent pipe. These are fairly uncommon, but they function as both a float gauge and a vent pipe.

Order Some Oil ASAP

If you’ve determined that you’re truly out of oil, then getting a delivery as soon as possible is crucial. Using our FuelSnap website will get you a delivery of oil quickly. You’ll get a list of local dealers in your area available to you, with their prices! These dealers are based on your zip code, which means that you’re in their delivery range! If you’ve got the Smart Oil Gauge, there’s FuelSnap integration in the app! You can simply click on “Check Oil Prices,” and you’ll be able to order oil in the app.

But don’t feel like you’re required to order oil through FuelSnap! If you have a dealer that you know and trust, then absolutely order from them! Especially if they can deliver the same day. Just make sure to let them know that you’ve run out of oil, and they’ll get you in for an Emergency Delivery!

After you’ve placed your order for heating oil, you should get an email confirmation. The email will have details on the delivery. Such as the date of the delivery and the order date. If you’ve ordered from FuelSnap, you’ll get the dealer’s contact information as well. You can then contact the dealer to get an estimate of when it’s going to be delivered.

Adding Diesel Into Your Tank

After you’ve placed an order for heating oil, run to the gas station and get some diesel. It’s close enough to heating oil that it won’t negatively impact your system. Start with 5-10 gallons of diesel. This’ll be a great way to start your system again while you’re waiting for your delivery of heating oil to come in. Depending on where you get your diesel from, it might cost you anywhere from $30-$60 total. But this is an emergency. However, be aware that using diesel is only for temporary use. It’s not a good long-term solution to heating oil.

Putting a little bit of diesel in your tank is great to keep you going momentarily until you get a fill-up.

The best way to get diesel is with the use of a yellow jug. Gas stations usually sell them, but if not, you can probably get one at Home Depot, Walmart, or an Auto store. This helps you tell the difference between Gasoline and Kerosene, which are in red and blue canisters, respectively. In the summer, 5-10 gallons of diesel will likely hold you over for a week. But during the winter, it’ll only last you a day or two.

Getting the Burner Reset

Lastly, you’re going to want to restart your burner. When you run out of oil, your system will stop. After you’ve put oil or diesel in the tank, you’re going to want to get it back up and running. Your system has likely been without oil for so long that you’ll need to restart it to get your system functioning normally again. In the image below, you’ll see your system’s starter. There’s a big button in the middle that you’re going to want to press. Pressing that button will help jump-start the system again. The button itself is translucent and should be flashing red. Once you’ve pressed the button, you’re going to want to wait about 15 seconds or so. You should hear the system begin to come on at this point.

Most furnace systems will have a restart button that you can press. Simply giving it a quick push will help restart your system.

However, if your system doesn’t come back online, the lines will need to be bled. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS WITHOUT SPEAKING TO AN HVAC COMPANY! It’s best to contact an HVAC tech before attempting this. This isn’t something you should normally try without guidance. After you’ve gotten the lines cleared, your system should be up and running again! But be sure to contact an HVAC company to get your system inspected afterwards.

Final Thoughts

Running out of oil can be frustrating. But as long as you keep a level head, you’ll be able to fix it quickly! Worst-case scenario: if you run out of oil, simply go get some diesel in your tank and place an order for heating oil! Best-case scenario: you’ve just got clogged feed lines.

However, broken or faulty equipment should be replaced by your HVAC company. Replacing this equipment will help ensure your system is up and running as it should once more! Make sure your HVAC company takes a look at it!

Preventing runout is easy as long as you’re on top of your usage and level. Getting a Smart Oil Gauge will be your best asset when preventing this. You’ll be alerted when the tank level is low and will have your usage data and level all in the app! You can even set up push notifications to alert you when you need to order and even when you get a fill!

Happy Heating,

Hunter