Hunter Geist, Author at FuelSnap

The Differences Between the Smart Oil Gauge and the Duo

February 5, 2024January 31, 2024

The newest addition to the family of Smart Oil Gauge devices is the Smart Oil Gauge Duo, and it is increasing in popularity. With the inclusion of the Duo, we have made a lot of changes to the device. If you have used both models of gauges, you can see some of them right off the bat after taking the cap off. But today, I’ll be covering all of the noteworthy differences between these two devices.

Different Cap Designs

One of the things that you’ll immediately notice is that the caps on both devices are vastly different. The original Smart Oil Gauge has a white cap installed onto the top of the gauge. However, the Duo has a gray cap that comes apart in two pieces. The top piece of the Duo cap sits directly onto the top of the Duo and the other part of the cap can be screwed on. While the standard gauge only has that white cap that screws onto the top of the gauge.

Now, these caps might just seem to be just simple caps. However, these caps are much more different than you would think. The regular gauge’s white cap doesn’t provide a complete seal to protect the interior of the device. Which isn’t an issue on indoor tanks. However, on outdoor tanks, it can cause moisture to fill up the interior of the gauge. That’s why we typically recommend wrapping some Teflon tape around the top threads of the gauge.

But with the Duo, that is no longer necessary. We designed this cap to be able to provide a seal to protect the interior of the device, which is why the cap comes in two pieces. The top piece sits directly onto the top of the gauge and the second piece of the cap will screw down onto the top threads protecting the top cap’s seal.

Indoor and Outdoor Usage

Another major difference between the gauges is the usage of indoor and outdoor tanks. The standard Smart Oil Gauge has an Indoor model and an Indoor/Outdoor unit. The indoor/outdoor model is more suitable for outdoor use but can be used on indoor tanks as well. The indoor-only model is strictly only for indoor usage.

Meanwhile, the Duo has only one model, that can be used on both indoor and outdoor tanks! We recently had a beta testing program that allowed some of our users to test the Duo on their outdoor heating oil tanks! We had done some significant testing on our end to ensure that the gauge would be able to work on outdoor tanks. However, nothing would prove to be more valuable than data in the field. Now after our successful beta testing program, we can safely say that the Duo can be used on outdoor tanks!

No Blind Spot

While I mentioned this in our previous Smart Oil Gauge Duo blog post, it is still important to know that the Duo has no blind spot. When you get a delivery of heating oil, there is usually only a few inches of headroom in the tank that is usually left open for air. With the original gauge, it wouldn’t be able to pick up the top 8″ of the tank very well. This is because the gauge’s signal would bounce around a lot at the top of the tank. The amount of gallons that the gauge would show on your app would vary depending on your tank size. But ultimately the gauge would read less oil than what you had in the tank. If you are interested in learning more about the blind spot, we have an in-depth article here regarding it.

This is what the blind spot on the standard Smart Oil Gauge looks like. You will see that the gauge is able to clear the blind spot once the oil level in the tank has cleared the top 8″ of the tank.

However, with the Smart Oil Gauge Duo, we’ve completely gotten rid of the blind spot. The Duo has an operating distance of 0″-72″ inches, which means it’s able to pick up oil within the top 8″ of the tank that the original Smart Oil Gauge isn’t able to pick up. This makes the Duo more accurate in the long run because it has a wider operating range.

Adapter & Tank Compatibility

While the standard Smart Oil Gauge has three separate adapter types that it’s compatible with, the Duo only has two adapters that it’s compatible with. The standard Smart Oil Gauge has an adapter for 1.25″ NPT tank fittings, 1.5″ NPT fittings, and Roth tanks. Meanwhile, the Smart Oil Gauge Duo only has adapters for 1.5″ NPT fittings and Roth Tanks. This is because the Duo gauge cannot fit in the 1.25″ NPT fitting adapter.

However, despite their differences the Duo and standard Smart Oil Gauge both have relatively the same tank compatibility. They are both incompatible with Roth 1500L tanks while being compatible with other Roth tanks. But unfortunately, the Duo is not compatible with tanks that have a 1.25″ NPT fitting. This is because as mentioned previously, the Duo cannot fit in the 1.25″ NPT fitting adapter.

Different Interiors

One of the most useful parts about the duo compared to the standard Smart Oil Gauge is the ability to take out the interior of the gauge and take it with you inside to troubleshoot. For example, say you have a change to your WIFI network and you need to update the credentials on the app. With the Duo, you can take the interiors of the gauge out and take them inside your warm house to troubleshoot! This makes troubleshooting the Duo much easier than troubleshooting the standard Smart Oil Gauge.

However, unfortunately, with the standard Smart Oil Gauge, the boards are connected. This makes it very difficult to take the interior parts out of the standard gauge. Taking the interior parts out of the gauge will only cause the boards to disconnect which can make reconnecting the boards a little more difficult.

Operating Ranges

We mentioned this briefly in our Smart Oil Gauge Duo introduction post, but the Duo and Smart Oil gauge have two different operating ranges. The standard Smart Oil Gauge has an operating range of 8″-72″. This is because the standard gauge only has one sensor on the bottom. When there is oil within the top 8″ of the tank, the signal that the gauge sends tends to bounce around the top of the tank a lot. Which will cause the gauge to read less oil than what’s actually in the tank when you get a fill. This is the Smart Oil Gauge’s blind spot. Due to this blind spot, the standard gauge cannot pick up those top 8″ of the tank because there is not enough room to send the signal.

However, the Smart Oil Gauge Duo has a dual-ultrasonic sensor that both takes readings and sends them. This gives the Duo an effective operating range of 0″-72″. This means it can take a reading within the top 8″ of the tank even after you get a fill! This ensures that you’ll be able to know how many gallons of oil you have in your tank after your fill!

Should You Buy a Standard Smart Oil Gauge or a Duo?

Now this begs the question, which gauge should you buy? Well, this also depends on your tank setup. If you have a tank that has a 1.25″ NPT fitting, then you’ll need to buy a standard Smart Oil Gauge because the Duo isn’t compatible with the 1.25″ NPT fitting adapter.

However, if you are willing to deal with the blind spot then the standard Smart Oil Gauge is perfect for you! While it’s not as accurate as the Smart Oil Gauge Duo, it is very accurate within the 8″-72″ inch operating range that it has.

But, if you’re the type of person who likes knowing what your tank level is at all times, then I would recommend purchasing the Smart Oil Gauge Duo!

Happy Heating,

Hunter

How Accurate is The Smart Oil Gauge?

January 29, 2024November 2, 2023

If you have a heating oil tank, you’ll want to know what the exact level is every once and a while. The Smart Oil Gauge will give you the tank’s readings right onto the gauge’s app on your phone. The sensor uses an ultrasonic sensor to measure how many gallons of oil are in the tank. By now you’re probably wondering, exactly how accurate is the gauge? In this post, we’ll break that down for you just to see how accurate it is!

What Exactly is the Smart Oil Gauge?

The Smart Oil Gauge is a type of WIFI heating tank gauge. It uses an ultrasonic sensor to take readings of the tank’s level. It will then report those readings and store them until it’s scheduled to upload. However, the device relies on WIFI to be able to send the readings up to the cloud. The homeowner will then be able to keep track of the oil level no matter where they are in the world!

The Smart Oil Gauge can thread into the top of your tank and will use an ultrasonic sensor to take readings of the oil level and transmit that data to the app on your phone.

The Smart Oil Gauge’s Blind Spot

An important factor of the smart oil gauge is the gauge’s blind spot. This is important to know because this will tend to happen when the tank receives a fill. The gauge, unfortunately, cannot see the top 8″ of the tank super accurately. This is because the signal that the gauge sends when the oil is within those top 8″ tends to bounce around a lot.

You will often see this when the tank gets a fill. If the amount of oil that you get goes into the top 8″ of the tank, you will see that the gauge won’t pick up any oil past a certain point and varies on each tank. For example, on 275-gallon vertical tanks, the blind spot would show up as 235 gallons on the app. It will take time for oil to clear the blind spot, but you will see a slow decline in oil level with a sudden spike back up once the gauge clears the blind spot. If you want a more in-depth explanation of the blind spot, we go more in-depth about it in our Smart Oil Gauge 101 blog post, and we have an in-depth write-up about it here.

How Accurate is the Smart Oil Gauge?

The lower the oil level in the tank, the more accurate the gauge is. The only limitation that the sensor has is the 8″ blind spot on the top of the tank. As mentioned previously, the sensor isn’t able to accurately pick up the oil level within those top 8″. This is when the oil is too close to the sensor which causes the signal to bounce around a lot at the top of the tank.

The Smart Oil Gauge’s sensor is similar to your car’s backup sensor. It sends out an ultrasonic wave that records the time it takes for the pulse to come back to the sensor. The Smart Oil Gauge has an operating range of 8 inches to 72 inches, which equates to six feet. The gauge will be able to accurately pick up anything within these six feet.

Tank Geometry Will Affect the Gauge’s Accuracy

The Smart Oil Gauge is best used on vertical and horizontal tanks. It’s also important to know that if your gauge is configured for the wrong tank, the readings will be inaccurate. So your tank dimensions must be correct. In the below photos, we’ve gathered up the statistics for the most popular tanks that we see the gauge being used on:

275 Vertical Tank

275 Horizontal

330 Vertical

330 Horizontal

Roth 1000L

Smart Oil Gauge Adapters

Making sure if your gauge needs an adapter or not is very important. Some tank fittings are not going to be big enough or too big for the Smart Oil Gauge. That’s where the adapters come in. For Roth tanks, the adapters are required for installation. Without the Roth adapter, the gauge will not read accurately and will always read full.

This sizing chart will tell you what the requirements for each adapter and if they’ll fit on your tank or not.

Fittings that are too big or small for the gauge will need adapters as well. Using the above chart will help you understand what kind of adapter you’ll need for your smart oil gauge if your fitting is too big or small. You will need one of these adapters on your tank if your gauge doesn’t fit.

Post-Fill Readings

Making sure to keep your tank’s level within the gauge’s operating range is important. This is so that you get the most reliable readings possible from the Smart Oil Gauge. Some readings can vary from tank to tank depending on your tank orientation. Tank dimensions are always different, so it’s important to know what your tank dimensions are so that you know the readings you are getting are accurate.

Whenever you get your tank “topped off” the tank will most likely be within the gauge’s blind spot. When the oil is within the blind spot, it is out of the sensor’s operating range. Usually, when this happens, you can give the gauge a couple of weeks to clear this blind spot. Sometimes in the winter, it can take a couple of days to clear, while during the summer it can take a couple of weeks.

Happy Heating,

Hunter

Installing a Smart Oil Gauge on a Tank With Three Openings

January 22, 2024January 26, 2024

One of the best things that you can do for your oil tank is install a Smart Oil Gauge. It will alert you when your tank is running low on oil and when you need to buy some! Buying the gauge will also give you the freedom to buy oil whenever you need it. This will ultimately save you hundreds of dollars a year that would normally be spent on automatic delivery. The gauge will also show you how much oil you are using per day, week, month, and year. This will better help you conserve your heating oil.

With all that said, when you go to install your smart oil gauge on your tank, you’ll notice that you don’t have a spare fitting. While very uncommon for this to happen, you’re not entirely out of luck just yet. In this blog post, we’ll cover what to do if you don’t have an extra fitting to plug your gauge into.

Overview of a Heating Oil Tank

Typically, most heating oil tanks have 4 openings on the top:

The opening for the fill pipe. The driver will pump oil into your tank from this opening.
The opening for the vent pipe. This is where air will enter and leave the tank when you fill it up. Sometimes this pipe will include a float gauge alongside it.
The opening for your float gauge.
An extra opening. You can use these extra openings to install additional gauges or equipment. Second tanks will also sometimes be connected to the main tank using these fittings. Tanks that are top-fed will also usually be set up using one of these fittings. That usually means that instead of oil coming out of the tank from the bottom, it’s drawn from the top. That is commonly found in outdoor tanks or tanks that are hard to access.

A majority of heating oil tanks have 4 openings: 1) The Fill Pipe, 2) The Vent Pipe, 3) The Float Gauge, and 4) an Extra Opening (that is usually the most ideal location for a Smart Oil Gauge). In the above tank, the oil is drawn out from the oil burner on the bottom right of the tank and not from one of the fittings on the top.

Where Should You Install the Smart Oil Gauge if you only have Three Fittings?

If your tank only has three openings, you’ll have two options on what to do. Whichever way you decide to go will be different depending on your tank.

Orientation #1: Fill Pipe / Vent Pipe / Float Gauge

If your openings are as follows: Fill Pipe > Vent Pipe > Float Gauge, then you’ll most likely have to remove the float gauge on your tank. However, removing said float gauge can be a little bit annoying. You can’t simply just unscrew the float gauge because its arm will crash into the interior of the tank. We go over replacing your tank gauge in depth in this blog post here. You can use that as a guide to remove your float gauge.

Removing your tank’s float gauge can be a little tricky. But by following our step-by-step guide, you’ll be able to replace it with no problem!

Pulling the disk up out of the tank will raise the gauge’s arm up and out of the way to make it easier to unscrew and remove the gauge from the tank.

Orientation 2: Fill Pipe / Vent & Float Gauge Combo / Top Feed Oil Lines

It’s more common for oil tanks to have their feed lines on the bottom of the tank rather than the top of it. However, oil feed lines can sometimes be located on the top of the tank. With Roth double-wall tanks, the feed lines are always on the top of the tank. However, for some Granby steel tanks, you can find them located on the top. One important note to keep in mind for these setups is that your tank will never be truly empty. This might sound odd, but this is because when the feed lines are at the top of the tank, they can’t reach the bottom of the tank completely. This normally leaves a little bit of oil on the bottom of the tank. Think of it like a straw that can’t reach the bottom of a large cup.

If your feed lines are on the top of the tank and you wish to have them moved to the bottom of the tank, then you MUST have a technician come out and move the location of the lines for you. This is NOT something that the average homeowner is capable of doing. The technician must first create a vacuum inside the tank to remove the tank’s plug without all of the oil spilling out. They must also be able to ensure that there is not a large buildup of sludge on the inside of the tank. This is often the last resort for your oil tank, but it can open up an extra fitting on your tank allowing for the installation of the Smart Oil Gauge.

Oil tanks that are top-fed will normally have the feed lines look like this. There are more often than two feed lines on these tanks. One of which will be going directly to the oil burner, while the second one is the return line, coming back from the burner. Very few systems will have a return line.

What’s the Bottom Line When Your Tank Only has Three Fittings?

The Smart Oil Gauge is a fantastic tool to have for monitoring your heating oil levels and usage. A lot of folks will tend to go to some great lengths to install one onto their tank. Luckily, you can remove the float gauge from your tank fairly easily. We have a guide on how to do so right here.

But, if you need to relocate your feed lines, we recommend that you contact a local HVAC technician to do so. Waiting until they’re at your home for a major reason to ask them is a smart idea. That way, you don’t have to request a consultation every time that you have a question. They will be able to tell you if they can move the feed lines to the bottom of your tank.

If you’ve decided to take off your float gauge from your tank, you’ll then need to see how the gauge is installed. Follow the steps in our steel tank installation tutorial to get the gauge installed onto the tank!

Happy Heating,

Hunter

What’s a Furnace Tune-Up?

January 15, 2024October 27, 2023

Heating system maintenance is very important for keeping your system in tip-top shape. Annual maintenance is a great thing to do and it is not something you should forget about. But you’re likely wondering what a Furnace tune-up is. In this blog post, we’ll be discussing what it is and what to expect from it.

HVAC technicians come equipped with everything they need to get your system up and running and ensuring that your system is working correctly.

Types of HVAC Systems

Furnace Systems

There are several types of HVAC systems and each one determines how it receives a tune-up. Furnaces are the most common form of heating systems and often the most serviced. How a furnace works is pretty simple, it blows hot air through a duct in the house that will often transfer heat throughout the home.

Forced Hot Air

Another form of heating system uses “Forced Hot Air”. These systems will often work together with a compressor and cooling coils. They will provide heat during the cold winter months, but also provide cold air in the hot summer months.

Boilers

Many homes nowadays will often use boilers to transport hot water throughout your home which will come out through baseboards in your home. The hot water will then come out through the baseboard radiators in your home. While the tune-up process is similar for both boilers and furnaces, boilers do not have air filters like a furnace does.

This is what an oil-fired furnace will often look like. They are used to send heat throughout your home and keep it warm.

Air ducts are often used to transfer both heat and cold air throughout your home depending on the time of year. They do this to both heat and cool the home.

If your home has baseboard heating, they will often look like this. This also means that your home will usually use a boiler to heat your home and transfer hot water throughout the home.

The Steps of a Tune-Up

The process of a heating system tune-up is similar to servicing your car. Like checking the fluid levels and filters on your car, an HVAC technician will do this for your furnace. The technician will often inspect, clean, and replace the following items if needed.

Checking Your Oil Supply Line: Your HVAC technician will check for incoming oil from your heating oil tank. They will usually disconnect the line to ensure that the burner is getting good oil flow from the tank. Sometimes there is some resistance in the line. This is usually due to a build-up of sludge. Usually, if this is the case, the line will need cleaning by pressurizing it from one end to the other. Alternatively, you can drain the other end of the line by hard-pumping the oil out of it.

The HVAC technician will normally disconnect the supply line from the filter to ensure that enough flow and oil are reaching the tank. If there’s a build-up of sludge, the technician will carefully and slowly use some pressure or a bit of suction to remove sludge from the line.

Changing the Oil Filter/Cleaning or Replacing the Strainer: The oil filter in your tank can get quite disgusting over time. In this instance, the technician will take out and replace the filter. He will also inspect, clean, and replace the system’s strainer if it needs it. The strainer will usually act as a second filter inside the system. It will catch anything that makes it past the oil filter.

This image shows how important it is to regularly change your oil filter. Over time, the filter can build up an incredible amount of sludge. To prevent the system from getting overfilled with sludge, it’s a good idea to clean it out every so often.

This is the strainer for your standard heating oil system. It will catch anything that the filter will not be able to catch. The strainer will also need to be replaced as needed.

Inspect, Replace, or Adjust the Components of the Burner: Before the combustion process, heating oil must go through a nozzle to become automatized. However, the nozzle can clog and wear out over time. But, the technician can replace it during the tune-up. After he replaces the nozzle, the HVAC technician will use a special template to match up the tips of the nozzle with the tips of the electrodes, as shown in the below photograph. The electrodes will then ignite the automatized fuel. If these electrodes show any wear and tear, the technician will promptly replace them. Finally, the technician will do a visual inspection of the system’s combustion chamber to ensure everything is working smoothly.

During the tune-up process, the technician will replace the nozzle and adjust the electrode as shown above. If the electrodes are too worn out to line up with their template, then the technician will need to replace them.

Check and Clean the Heat Exchanger. The cool air in your house will pass through the heat exchanger before going through a conversion process. That process turns it into hot air. Over time older furnaces will tend to fail, and this is often because of cracks in the heat exchanger. These cracks allow the burner’s exhaust to mix in with the clean air that is making its way into your home. Before they become a problem, the HVAC technician will be sure to take a careful look to find these issues and fix them.

This is a close-up view of the heat exchanger and shows what the technician will need to examine for any possible damage.

Perform a Combustion Analysis: There’s a special tool that the technician will use to measure the efficiency of your system. He’ll use it to perform a pump test that’ll help check the color of smoke to ensure that it’s adequate. Finally, the analyzer will check both the temperature and CO2 content. It will then use that information to effectively calculate the system’s efficiency.

The technician will use this analyzer to measure the CO2 content and temperature of your exhaust gases.

Change The Air Filters: The easiest part of your heating system tune-up is changing out your air filters. You can do this once per year yourself. However, it’s not a problem if you wait for your HVAC technician to replace them during your annual tune-up. Replacing the filters doesn’t require you to use any tools and they are very easy to replace! We go over how to replace them in this post here.

The Peace of Mind of a Furnace Tune-Up

As we continue to make our way through the cold months of the year, it’s good to be confident in your heating system to keep you nice and warm through this time of the year.

Having annual preventative maintenance on your HVAC system will ensure that your system is still running as efficiently as possible. Like changing the oil on your car, changing your system’s oil filter and worn-out items on your furnace should be done regularly. Just be sure to hire a qualified, licensed, experienced, and insured technician to do this for you.

Happy Heating,

Hunter

How to Read Your Heating Oil Tank Gauge

January 8, 2024December 21, 2023

In a home that uses oil heat, it’s important to know when you’re running low on oil so that you can order. Even if you pay the premium pricing for automatic delivery, you should still check to see how many gallons of heating oil are in your tank. To keep track of this, your tank should come with a tank gauge of some sort. Regardless if it’s the Smart Oil Gauge or a standard float gauge, we’ll help you understand how to read your gauge to ensure that you’re on top of how much heating oil you have in your tank.

How to Read a Float Gauge

Most fuel tanks will often come with a traditional float gauge. This float gauge comes equipped with a metal arm that has a bobber on the end. These bobbers are usually made of cork, but recently plastic ones have been growing in popularity. On the top of this gauge, in particular, you will see a plastic cylinder and disc combination. The little disc moves up and down depending on where the bobber sits in the tank. The plastic cylinder has markings on it that will give you an estimated reading based on where the disc sits in the cylinder.

This is what the interior components of a heating oil tank look like. As you can see, the extendable arm will move up and down depending on where the bobber sits on top of the oil.

You can read a float gauge by looking at the vial’s tick marks. You can typically indicate the oil level by Full, 3/4, 1/2, and 1/4 markings. Because the heating oil tank is rounded on the top and bottom, these gauges tend to not be very accurate. This is because they cannot account for the curvature of the tank and you will often be reading less oil than you have. You should order oil as soon as the float gauge reads 1/4 tank. This will be enough to hold you over until your next delivery arrives.

These gauges will only provide an estimate of how many gallons are actually in the tank. Due to this, we recommend that you multiply the level shown by your float gauge by the gallon maximum in your tank. For example, if a 275-gallon tank had a float gauge reading at 1/4, you would multiply .25 * 275 = 69 gallons. For a 330-gallon tank, you would multiply .25 * 330 =82.5.

Most home heating oil tanks come with a float gauge that looks like this. It will give you an approximate reading that will help you know how many gallons of oil might be in your tank.

Is your Float Gauge Accurate?

Because these gauges only give approximate readings, they can only be used to give you an idea of how many gallons of oil are actually in your tank. Additionally, due to all the moving parts on the sensor, it is prone to wear and tear over time. If you have suspicions that your float gauge is stuck, then simply unscrew the plastic vial using your hands. Then, gently push down on the disk and if it moves down, then the gauge isn’t stuck. The gauge’s arm will then float back to the top of the oil, giving you the estimation.

One of the most common ways that a float gauge gets stuck is by simply rotating inside the tank itself. This can happen gradually over time and as a result of this, the float can get wedged against the side of the tank, preventing it from moving.

Float gauges will tend to get less buoyant over time. This is often due to a build-up of sludge that can hold down the gauge, preventing it from floating on top of the oil level’s surface.

This is an example of what the float will look like when it’s coated in sludge. The sludge will prevent the gauge from reading accurately and bog it down.

How Much Heating Should I order and when?

After knowing how much oil is currently in your tank, you’ll have to figure out how much you’ll want to order. Using the below graph, you can determine how much oil you can fit in your tank. Use the below equation to figure out what the ideal number of gallons to order will be.

The Tank’s Capacity – Current Oil Level = The Amount you’ll need to order

For a standard 275-gallon oil tank, the maximum capacity for your tank is normally around 250 gallons. This is because dealers will leave the top few inches of the tank clear to prevent overflow and overflow. The same applies to 330-gallon tanks, but they’ll normally have around 315 gallons of oil as their true capacity. If your 275-gallon oil tank is 1/4 full, then we’ll use the equation shown above, 275 – 206 = approximately 69 gallons.

Standard 275-gallon oil tanks will often hold anywhere from 240-250 gallons, depending on how it’s orientated. Use the above table as a guide to tell you how much to order.

Your standard 330-gallon tank will be able to hold 288-305 depending on its orientation. Use the above table to guide you on how many gallons of oil you should order.

With the above guides that we’ve provided you with, you’ll be able to determine when you should order heating oil. You can find the best prices available to you on our FuelSnap Website! This will help you prevent overcharging from local dealers!

How to Read a Smart Oil Gauge

Another type of gauge that you can use to monitor your heating oil level is the Smart Oil Gauge. This gauge is a remote WIFI gauge that you connect to your WIFI and install onto the top of your tank. This gauge will send an ultrasonic signal down to your oil level that will then bounce off of the oil level and go right back up to the sensor. By using the Smart Oil gauge app, you’ll be able to tell how much oil is in your tank. That will tell you when you’ll need to fill up next.

It will be able to account for your tank’s curvature as well. This will allow you to get accurate date readings on your oil level! We can configure the Smart Oil Gauge to a variety of different tank sizes and shapes. Additionally, the gauge will give you weekly status readings for “Gallons per Day”, “Days Until 1/4” and “Days Until 1/8”. You can even order heating oil through the app! The Smart Oil Gauge app has direct integration with FuelSnap, which gives you access to local prices, anytime and anywhere!

Using the smart oil gauge is by far the best way to figure out how many gallons of heating oil are in your tank. The smart oil gauge will also become more accurate the deeper you get into the tank. This is because we wanted to ensure that if your gauge is reading 40 gallons, then that’s the amount of oil in the tank.

Keeping Track of Heating Oil Usage

Another handy feature with the smart oil gauge, is that it keeps track of your oil usage. The Smart Oil Gauge will be able to tell you how many gallons you are burning on average, per day. However, your usage will be different than your neighbors and friends. It’s all dependent on what you use heating oil for, and the size of your house.

If you use it for heat and hot water, then your usage will be higher than someone who uses it for one or the other. The size of your home will also change your usage data. Larger homes will often burn more oil than smaller houses. This is because your boiler has to work harder to push the heat throughout your home. Your usage will often be lower during the summer months than in the winter months. The warmer weather will often incentivize you to use less oil. During the winter months, you will be burning a lot of oil and will need to get a fill frequently.

The Smart Oil Gauge will give you exact readings on your heating oil usage per day. It will let you know what your heating oil usage was on a specific day.

If you look at the above graph, it will show you the usage data of one of our Smart Oil Gauges. You can see that around late September-early October we had low usage that went up to larger amounts the closer we got to winter.

Using the Float Gauge and Smart Oil Gauges

Now that you understand how to read a float gauge and the Smart Oil Gauge, you’ll know which one is best for you! You can even use both gauges in conjunction with each other! Being able to use both gauges at the same time will give you the best data possible from your tank. While you don’t have to use both, it is beneficial to do so.

If you don’t wish to use both at the same time, that’s perfectly fine! You can use one or the other and use a yardstick to measure the oil level to get an accurate reading. Make sure to plug that information into an Oil Tank Calculator to ensure your information is correct.

Happy Heating,

Hunter

What’s a Double Wall Tank?

January 1, 2024December 21, 2023

If you’ve been shopping around for a new heating oil tank, you might’ve come across double-wall tanks. These tanks are very useful and are growing in popularity here in the United States. But like all tanks, they come with pros and cons. Before you decide to buy one of these tanks, I recommend reading our article on Granby Vs Roth tanks. We go a bit more in-depth about the differences between standard Granby tanks and Roth tanks.

How Does a Double Wall Tank Work?

Double-wall tanks are the most popular form of tank heating in Europe and are gaining popularity here in the United States. Double wall tanks come with an interior plastic tank that contains the heating oil. It is normally made from aluminum or steel and surrounds a plastic tank similar to a shell. The metal surrounding the tank acts as a backup in case the interior tank begins to leak.

As shown in the double-wall tanks here, there is a plastic interior tank and a metal exterior tank. The number one manufacturer in the United States or double-wall tanks is Roth North America.

What are the Pros of Double Wall Oil Tanks?

There are many pros to having a double-wall tank. We’ve compiled a list of the pros of the double wall tank below.

Protection from Leaks: The biggest advantage of a double wall tank is leak protection. If the interior tank were to ever receive a puncture or damage, the exterior tank will prevent that oil from spilling all over your floor. Although that isn’t common with these types of tanks, it is still a great precaution to have in case the interior tank begins to leak.

Saves Space: With these tanks being a bit taller than Granby tanks, they take up less space. This gives you the freedom to install two of these tanks close to each other in just about the same space for one Granby tank.

No Possibility for Corrosion: While your standard steel oil tank will eventually corrode over time, the interior tank will not. This is because the interior tank is plastic. The tank will eventually start to slowly deteriorate over time, but that will tank for a long time.

Less Sludge Buildup: With the inclusion of the plastic tank, you will often see less of a sludge buildup. This is because the interior tank will not rust from the inside out, which will result in less sludge production.

Better Warranty: Unlike steel tanks, double-wall tanks normally offer a longer-lasting warranty. Most of the time, the warranty tends to last 30 years, while steel tank warranties normally only last 10 years.

Like standard steel tanks, Roth tanks can be installed outside. However, most of the time they will need a steel cover if being installed outside.

What are the Cons of a Double Wall Oil Tank?

Like all tanks, there are both pros and cons to owning them. Double-wall tanks are not different. Here is a list of the cons:

They’re Expensive: One of the major cons of these tanks in particular is that they are more expensive than standard steel tanks. This is because, unlike steel tanks, they have a bit more of a complicated construction process.

Unfamiliar Technicians: Unfortunately, many technicians are unfamiliar with these tanks. Additionally, because the standard steel oil tank has been around for 70+ years, technicians tend to prefer them over double-wall tanks.

Isn’t an Exact Replacement: Double-wall tanks have a different footprint than steel tanks. You might have to make a few changes to your existing fill and vent pipes to get a tank like this installed.

The Installation is Complex: If you wish to install multiple tanks together, then a very complex piping setup needs to be put in place. This setup is very specific and you MUST follow it if you want to install the tanks correctly.

When installing these tanks side by side, it’s important to follow the process exactly, so that the tanks are properly set up.

Is a Double Roth Tank Worth Investing in?

We highly recommend investing in a double-wall tank. They are not only more compact, allowing for more space optimization, but the plastic interior tank is very useful. It provides a safe form of protection that we think is worth the extra money that it costs. Additionally, the inclusion of a 30-year warranty, makes it all the more appetizing.

However, you should consider this decision very carefully. We don’t want you jumping into anything without doing enough research. Take a look at our article on Granby vs Roth Tanks first before you decide to replace your current tank.

Happy Heating,

Hunter

Introducing the Smart Oil Gauge Duo

December 25, 2023January 31, 2024

Merry Christmas Smart Oil Gauge users! Some of you might be opening up your first Smart Oil Gauge today! This new gauge of yours will give you the ability to access your usage and oil level at the tip of your fingers! Now, put down your Christmas coffee and take out your camera because, we’ve recently welcomed a new gauge into the Smart Oil Gauge family of devices. A couple of weeks ago, we added the Smart Oil Gauge Duo to our shop. We’ve made a plethora of adjustments to the device with the inclusion of the Duo. The biggest change is no blind spot! We are especially excited about that. In this post, I’ll be going over all of the things that the Duo has to offer!

This is the new Smart Oil Gauge Duo! As you can see, it looks slightly different than the standard Smart Oil Gauge. You’ll immediately notice that on the bottom there are two sensors. One of the sensors sends date, while the other receives it.

No More Blind Spot

The best part about the Duo is that there is no blind spot! For those of you who have been using the Smart Oil Gauge for several years or so, know about the blind spot. It was located on the top eight inches of the tank and would often cause the gauge to read less oil than what was actually in the tank. In the duo, there is no blind spot!

To ensure that there is no blind spot in this gauge, we’ve designed the Duo’s dual sensor base. The dual sensor base allows the gauge to both send and receive readings at the same time. It accomplishes this by both sensors working together. One sensor sends a signal down to the oil level, while the other receives the signal. We’ve designed it this way so that we can ensure that the gauge is as accurate as possible.

Operating Range

The standard Smart Oil Gauge has an operating range of 8″-72″. As previously mentioned, the original gauge had an 8″ blind spot where the gauge would read less oil in the tank than what was there. However, the Duo now has a larger operating range due to no blind spot! With the blind spot, the previous Smart Oil Gauge only had a 6-foot operating range. Now the Duo has a 0″-72″ inch operating range! With no more blind spots, the gauge now has a larger range of operability!

Sensor Compatibility

The Smart Oil Gauge Duo is compatible with all the same tanks that the original device is compatible with. These include your standard heating oil tanks of 275 and 330-gallon tanks, with the addition of the various-sized Roth Tanks. However, it is important to note that both the Duo and the regular Smart Oil Gauge are incompatible with Roth 1500L tanks. This is because these tanks also have an interior support baffle that prevents the gauge from sending the signal down all the way. The sensor will pick up the baffle in the middle and will not be able to read past half a tank.

In regards to compatible tank fitting sizes, the Duo is currently not compatible with tanks that have 1.25″ fittings. This is because the sensor on the bottom of the Duo is too big and the Duo can’t fit through the narrow hole of the adapter. Additionally, the Duo requires a separate adapter compared to the original Smart Oil Gauge. This is because the bottoms of both gauges are completely different and each requires different inserts to send the signal properly.

Troubleshooting the Duo

One of the best parts about having the Duo is that you can take out the electronic innards to troubleshoot it. For example, say that your gauge went offline because you got a new router. If your tank is outside, you’ll be able to go outside and take the interior of the Duo out and bring it inside! This way, you’re able to troubleshoot from inside the warmth of your home!

No longer will you have to worry about going down to your crawl space or standing outside in the cold winter weather to troubleshoot your gauge! You’ll simply be able to take the electronics in without taking the whole gauge off of the tank!

Where Can You Purchase the Duo?

You can purchase the Duo on either our Smart Oil Gauge or FuelSnap websites. We have them listed at $199.00 at the current moment. They are currently the most accurate and reliable gauges that we have in our shop.

At the time of writing, the Duo listing says that it’s only available for indoor use. However, with the success of our beta-testing program and our testing from our office, we can safely say that the Smart Oil Gauge Duo can be used on outdoor tanks! The gauge’s cap will come in two parts. One part will be able to sit on top of the Duo and the other will have to tighten in on the sides.

If you don’t already have a Smart Oil Gauge Duo, I highly recommend you upgrade to one soon! They are accurate, reliable and durable and will give you the freedom of mind of knowing how many gallons are in your tank! Even after a fill.

Setting up and configuring the Duo is relatively the same compared to the original sensor! While some of the information listed here doesn’t apply to the Duo, a majority of the information in this post, definitely still apply! If you’ve got the gauge set up and need to install it, follow our Roth tank and steel tank installation tutorials!

Happy Heating,

Hunter

Which is Better for Home Heating: Natural Gas or Oil Heat?

December 18, 2023October 27, 2023

If you live in the northeast United States, then you understand how important choosing a heating fuel type is. Smaller homes and condominiums usually will be offered electric heat as their main source of heating. However, larger homes do not get this benefit because it becomes too expensive to heat larger spaces. Instead, there are some more cost-effective heating fuel options such as Natural Gas. It’s become very popular in recent years and for good reason. However, is it better than Heating Oil? In this blog post, we go over the differences between the two.

Heating Oil, Propane and Natural Gas

When it comes to heating fuel types, the big three are heating oil, natural gas, and propane. Each with its pros and cons. But it’s important to choose one to be your main source of home heating. For instance, if you want to use natural gas or propane, you must have a gas stove in your home. This also means if you have it only for cooking.

Natural Gas

Natural gas has become a popular form of heating in the Northeast. However, it only tends to be available in cities or towns with a dense population. There is a network of pipes that travel underneath the street and connect to various buildings across your neighborhood. A good way to tell if your town uses natural gas is if the roads are constantly being ripped open and repaired. This is normally done to maintain the natural gas lines.

Another way to tell is to take a look at the houses in your neighborhood to see if they have a meter like the one shown below. These types of meters will track and regulate the flow of natural gas into your home. The homeowner will then be billed by the company that provides natural gas and you would then be billed for electrical usage.

Natural gas is less common in areas where homes are more spread out. This is due to the inability to properly maintain the pipes, but also the lack of clientele for this type of heat in particular. That is why you will often see most homes in quiet neighborhoods using heating oil or propane.

This is what the average natural gas meter tends to look like. If you see this in your home or a neighbors, this means that they have it connected to a natural gas supply line.

Heating Oil

Heating Oil has become a fast favorite amongst homeowners in the Northeast. It’s reliable and outputs an incredible amount of heat, putting out 35% more effective BTUs compared to propane at a much lower cost. However, heating oil prices tend to fluctuate a lot. Another benefit to using heating oil is that you store it in an oil tank. These tanks are usually indoors in your basement or garage but are sometimes outdoors.

You’ll likely also have several different oil dealers located in your town. With access to so many different dealers, you’ll be able to price shop and find a price that’s right for you! You’ll also have a lot of freedom to order when you want and from anyone you want! The immense competition ensures that you won’t be stuck with the controlling utility price of natural gas.

Heating oil is stored in a tank similar to the tank shown in the above photo here. Typically they are found in your basement and have a gauge of some sort installed into the top of the tank.

Propane

Propane is incredibly similar to natural gas. However, it is stored in tanks that are installed on your property instead of through a pipeline. The gas is stored in a pressurized tank as a liquid. This is why you will often see the abbreviation L.P, which means “Liquid Propane”. These tanks are more often than not, stored above ground and are ugly to look at.

About 95% of propane tanks in the northeast are owned by the propane dealer themselves. This tends to often be problematic, as it prevents you from ordering propane when you need it as the homeowner. This can often lead to expensive propane prices and sometimes you will find yourself paying twice as much per gallon when comparing prices to heating oil. If you are considering using propane heat, please consider reading this blog post first.

Propane tanks often look like this. Although there are smaller sizes out there, they will usually have to be installed in massive tanks like this if you wish to head a large home.

Choosing Between Heating Oil, Propane or Natural Gas

If you have a choice between these three options, it’s important to understand the pros and cons of each. Heating Oil and Natural Gas are both fantastic ways to heat your home. However, natural gas is often provided by a monopolized utility provider, so you may prefer heating oil for its flexibility. While propane is a fantastic way to heat your home, it is often controlling and expensive.

If you’d rather not have to worry about ordering a delivery or signing up for automatic delivery and would just like to have the convenience of heat flowing through your home, then natural gas might be the best option for you.

When using heating oil, it’s important to keep in mind that you cannot use it to power a gas stove, gas fireplace or a generator. You will need either natural gas or a propane tank to be able to operate those utilities.

Which Form of Heating is the Best?

If you find a home that comes with natural gas as your primary source of heat, we highly recommend it. It’s cost-effective, versatile, and can run auxiliary systems such as fireplaces, stoves, and much more!

However, if natural gas is not something that you have access to, then we recommend using heating oil to heat your home. It is significantly more cost-effective when comparing it to other forms of fuel oil such as propane and it gives you the ability to shop around and get the best possible prices available to you. Using websites such as FuelSnap will let you look at all the local dealers in your area and their prices to see which one has the best!

If you can’t get access to both heating oil and natural gas, then propane isn’t a bad option for utilities! You can use propane to heat your stove, and fireplace and a generator is perfect! While it’s powering those, you’ll be able to heat your home and hot water using heating oil! You’ll be able to get the best of both worlds!

Happy Heating,

Hunter

How Accurate is Your Tank Gauge?

December 11, 2023October 27, 2023

Heating oil has remained relatively unchanged for several decades. The same is unfortunately true for most of the heating oil tank gauges. The most basic type of tank gauge is the float gauge. These types of gauges are known to go bad over time and will constantly need to be replaced. In this post, we’ll talk about the accuracy of the float gauge and how it changes over time.

How does The Float Gauge Work?

The float gauge has a very simple design. It mounts onto the top of your tank and has a mechanical arm with a bobber at the end. Additionally, there is a plastic cylinder at the top with a colorful disc in the middle of it, that moves based on where the bobber floats in the tank. The bobbers at the end are usually made of cork. However, recently they’ve been starting to be made from plastic.

You will often see your level move up when you get a fill and decrease whenever you use oil. The disc will move accordingly, depending on how your tank level changes.

As shown in the above picture, you will see how the float gauge is normally positioned in the tank. It should be positioned enough for the arm to freely float atop the oil level, and be able to move up and down.

How to Read Your Float Gauge

The purpose of the disc in the plastic cylinder is to give you an approximate level of how many gallons of oil are in your tank. It’s important to know that the purpose of a float gauge is only to give you an approximate reading. The reading the gauge gives you will never be 100% accurate.

Another important part of using a float gauge is knowing what size tank you have. Most oil tanks tend to be either 275-gallon or 330-gallon tanks. By using the float gauge, you will need to know what the size of your tank is.

Pro Tip: 275-gallon fuel tanks will tend to measure around five feet long. However, 330-gallon tanks will usually measure around six feet long.

Once you are aware of your tank size, you’ll be able to understand what your float gauge is reading. The levels that the float gauge will read are primarily: 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, or full. You can check out our heating oil tank chart to determine how many gallons are actually in your tank based on that reading.

Just to be on the safe side, however, always make sure to order oil when your tank hits a quarter full, especially when using a float gauge.

In the above image, the float will roughly show you how much fuel is in the tank. Remember that this is just an approximate and it is not guaranteed that you have that much oil in your tank due to the nature of the float gauge.

How Accurate is the Float Gauge?

Unfortunately, a float-style gauge is not going to be an accurate device to measure how much oil is in the tank. There are two distinct reasons for this.

Float Gauges Tend to Go Bad Over Time

After several years of sitting in heating oil, float gauges will build up sludge all over the bobber over time. This can weigh the bobber down, causing the gauge to read inaccurately and not work properly. In the below photo, you’ll see what a build-up of sludge will look like on the float.

Additionally, the float gauge can sometimes get stuck. If the gauge moves even the slightest, the float arm and bobber can stick on the side of the oil tank, causing the level the float reads to remain stagnant.

This is what a float gauge will look like after several years of being exposed to heating oil. This is what a consistent build up of sludge will often look like and it cannot be relied on to give you an accurate reading.

Float Gauges Don’t Put Tank Geometry into Consideration

Due to float gauge arms only being able to move up and down, they do not take tank curvature into account. While the middle of the oil tanks tend to be straight up and down, the top and bottoms of the tanks are curved. Once the oil in the tank hits the curved portions, the float gauge will look as if you are using significantly more oil once you get to the bottom 1/4th of the tank. When the float reaches that bottom 1/4th of the tank, you will see it going down faster.

The standard float gauge doesn’t take the tank’s curvature into account. There is usually less oil at the bottom of the tank than the rest of the tank. Despite that, there is a way to calculate the amount of oil in the curvature ay the bottom of the tank.

The More Accurate Heating Oil Tank Gauge

With the introduction of the Smart Oil Gauge, heating oil users now have a more reliable option to monitor their oil tanks. The Smart Oil Gauge uses an Ultrasonic sensor that detects the oil level in the tank. The gauge also knows the curvature of your tank after completing its initial setup process. It will output a specific number of gallons in the oil tank instead of just giving you an approximate level.

This is what the smart oil gauge looks like. Because it doesn’t make contact with the oil itself, it won’t get sludge built up around the sensor and lose accuracy similar to a traditional float gauge.

Track Your Usage and More with the Smart Oil Gauge

The Smart Oil Gauge will record your readings throughout the day, and you’ll be able to get an idea of how much heating oil you are using daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly! Here is just a small list of some of the benefits that come with the Smart Oil Gauge:

Current Oil Usage (Gallons Per Hour and Gallons Per Day)
Days Until you’ll be at 1/4 tank
Days until 1/8 tank
Total Gallons used per day, week, month or year

Track Monthly Usage and Reorder Heating Oil Quickly Online

With the use of the smart oil gauge, you can keep track of how much heating oil you are using. The app also directly connects to our FuelSnap website, so you can order oil directly from the app if you’re low. Using this information, you’ll be able to schedule your next order of home heating oil.

With the inclusion of the Smart Oil Gauge, you’ll be able to notice how fast you’re consuming heating oil and order it online in just seconds with FuelSnap

An Accurate Heating Oil Gauge

While the float gauge might not be accurate, the Smart Oil Gauge is! The only limitation that it has is that it can’t give an accurate reading within the top 8″ of the tank. This is the gauge’s “blind spot”. We have a more in-depth write-up regarding this blind spot here.

However, below that 8″ blind spot the gauge is incredibly accurate! Additionally, if you would like to keep your float gauge installed into your tank with the Smart Oil Gauge, then you can! The float can stay in the tank so long as you have an extra fitting to install the Smart Oil Gauge into! You’ll be able to look at the exact reading through our app on your phone! It will tell you how many gallons you have, and when you’ll run out!

Happy Heating,

The Disadvantages of Heating With Propane

December 4, 2023October 27, 2023

Thinking about making the switch from heating oil to propane? About ten years ago, this was a great way to save money on heating costs. However, now that couldn’t be any further from the truth. While several years ago this was considered to be the best way to heat, the times have changed. Before you make the switch, it’s best to be aware of the disadvantages that come with propane heating.

When you heat with propane, you’ll often have an outdoor tank that is either above ground, or buried underground. These tanks are usually always owned by the provider, which makes changing over far more difficult.

The Benefits of Heating With Propane

While it does have its disadvantages, it also has some benefits to it. If natural gas or heating oil isn’t an option in your area, then propane will offer some similar benefits. Those benefits can include some of the following:

Powering a Generator
Fueling a Gas Fireplace
Fueling a Gas Stove

Additionally, both heating oil and propane can do the following:

Heat your Home
Heat your Hot Water

Due to heating oil creating significantly more heat per gallon than propane, using it instead of propane as your main form of heating is the better choice. Heating Oil tends to be more reliable in the long run. That’s because it will often produce more BTUs than propane. Additionally, you will need 1.35 gallons of propane to match one gallon of heating oil. However, you can still use it in your home for other things. These include a gas fireplace, generator, or stove top.

Propane is extremely versatile as a fuel source. It is often used for fireplaces, stoves and even outdoor grills! However, it is very expensive to use as a long term home heating fuel source.

The Disadvantages of Heating With Propane

Propane is very similar to natural gas, except that the main difference between the two is that it needs to have a delivery truck deliver it. That alone is what makes it considered to be a form of heating oil. Another big difference is that with heating oil, you own your tank. Unfortunately most of the time with propane, your tank is owned by your supplier. This tends to lead to some overlooked disadvantages such as the following:

Switching suppliers tends to be very difficult. This is because your propane supply will own the tank 95% of the time! You do not own your tank! This means that you can only order propane through your supplier! You can’t order from another dealer, and you can even fill your tank if you run out!

It tends to be difficult to price-compare. If you try calling around to get a price per gallon, most dealers won’t tell you. They will then proceed to ask you a series of questions usually along the lines of how many gallons you plan on using this year. However, with heating oil, there is a very distinct market price per gallon. You can use our FuelSnap website to compare heating oil prices based on your local dealers and will allow you to order oil online.

Propane is very expensive! Not only does it cost more per gallon when comparing it to heating oil, but you’ll tend to need 35% more propane to create the same amount of heat as heating oil! Keep this in mind when you’re comparing heating oil and propane prices, you’ll want to multiply the propane price by 1.35 to get an accurate rate.

What’s the Best Type of Fuel to Heat Your Home With?

If you have access to natural gas in your area, then you should definitely opt for that. It’s not only incredibly versatile, it is also very eco-friendly and doesn’t require delivery. All you have to do is simply pay your bill every month like you would normally do!

However, when comparing heating oil and propane, heating oil is the clear winner. It’s less expensive and grants you more freedom when it comes to ordering and delivery. You also can price compare to ensure that you’re getting the best deal available to you.

Finally, if you still would like to use propane for other home appliances, then by all means do so! Just a single tank for these small uses can give you the heating qualities of heating oil and the versatility of propane! If you are still unsure, check out our post on Heating Oil vs. propane, where we dive deeper into this topic!

Happy Heating,

Hunter