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5 Facts About Your Vent Piping

Discount Heating Oil North Central MA Oppure During the winter, we see many customers remove snow and ice from the fill pipe but not the vent pipe… but did you know it is more important to keep the vent pipe clear?  Although we certainly appreciate snow, ice and plants cleared from the fill pipe, we urge our customers to please take the time to do the same with your vent pipe.

Under normal operation (when we are not filling) your vent is designed to relieve the vacuum created from your oil burner pulling oil from the tank.  A blocked vent pipe can cause a no heat call.

Besides snow, ice and plants, another blockage culprit can be insects setting up shop inside your vent.  If we suspect a vent blockage, we will notify you and we recommend having the problem fixed right away using one of our neighborhood service providers.

A few facts about the vent piping:

  • The vent piping must be same size diameter or greater size diameter than the fill pipe.
  • The vent piping must be run and terminate above the fill pipe.
  • Vent pipes shall be installed as to drain toward one tank without sags or traps in which liquid can collect.
  • Vent pipes shall terminate outside of buildings at a point not less than two feet measured vertically or horizontally from any building opening.
  • Outer ends of vent pipes shall terminate in a weatherproof vent cap or fitting or be provided with a weatherproof hood.

If you have any questions about your vent pipe, call us and we may be able to provide answers or send you to one of our trusty Neighborhood Service Providers for a repair job.

What Do You Know About Your Oil Tank Gauge?

Discount Heating Oil North Central MA Oppure Did you know your oil tank gauge is a very important device?  Massachusetts oil burner code requires that a tank gauge be installed.  This is a very simple device but do not attempt to change out your gauge by yourself.  Without the proper training, you could end up damaging the new gauge you just purchased… or even worse, an improperly installed tank gauge could cause a leak the next time the tank is filled.

Tank gauges usually read in 1/8 increments and very rarely read completely full after the tank is filled.  This is due to manufacturers’ piping instructions when installing a device called a vent alarm.  Some gauges are combination vent alarm and tank gauge while others are just a tank gauge.

As a will-call customer, you are responsible to monitor your tank gauge and order oil manually, allowing sufficient time for delivery (see ‘Service Area’ for delivery expectation dates).  All gauges are not the most accurate, thus we recommending ordering oil prior to your gauge getting below ¼ full. This will allow plenty of time for us to get there and disregard any gauge error that may or may not be occurring.  For our automatic customers, the gauge is much less important since we will be coming automatically and filling your tank to make sure you will never run out of oil.

Did you know that you can buy an electronic tank gauge?  These handy devices have the range of a standard cordless phone and the receiver can be placed in a handy space perhaps in the kitchen thus eliminating the need to go the basement and check your tank gauge.  You can contact one of our neighborhood service providers for more information.

Bone Chilling Temperatures: Stay Safe & Warm by Keeping Oil in the Tank

young woman using tablet computer

Due to the extremely cold temperatures, New Englanders are burning more home heating oil, a lot quicker than in previous winters.

We want to remind you to order oil before your tank goes below a quarter full.

The deep snow and extreme cold, combined with increased demand, has slowed us down a bit. While we can sometimes get there sooner, we have temporarily extended our guaranteed delivery time to within 5 days for our on-demand customers.

If you are signed up for our Automatic Delivery service, you will never run out of oil. You are in our system and on our schedule. If you have not signed up for Automatic Delivery, we encourage you to do so. You pay the same
low price, and you can rest assured that your tank will have oil in it no matter how cold it gets.

Click here to learn more about Automatic Delivery.

Are You Buried?

Tips from Your Friendly Oppure Oil Delivery Guy.

With all of the snow that’s been dumped on us in the past couple of weeks, it has been a challenge for all of us to keep up with the plowing and shoveling! It’s no wonder many of us overlook the need to keep our fill pipes accessible.

In order for us to deliver your oil quickly and efficiently, and for your own safety, we offer these suggestions:

  • Remember, if you can’t get up your driveway, it’s unlikely that we can. Please keep your driveway cleared so we can get our truck close enough to your fill pipe. Our hose is 150 ft. long.
  • Make sure that gates are unlocked and cleared of snow.
  • Please keep your fill and vent pipes clear of snow.

We appreciate your cooperation and your business!