How to Detect Heating Oil Leaks

You can count on Fredericks Fuel for your home heating needs

Fredericks Fuel can handle a lot when it comes to the heating oil that you use here in your Northern New Jersey home to stay warm. In fact, you can consider us a full-service heating company that has a history of delivering heating fuels that dates all the way back to 1920. These days, our trained professionals offer safe heating oil deliveries and heating equipment service to homeowners in Vernon and Sparta, New Jersey, and throughout Sussex County.

You can certainly count on us to get you the heating fuel that you need and to handle equipment servicing. However, since we’re not in our customers’ homes 24/7, we aren’t necessarily there to tell you that you have a heating oil leak the second you suspect one.

Therefore, it is important that each and every homeowner who uses heating oil knows what the signs of a heating oil leak are.

Warning Signs of a Heating Oil Leak

Here are some common indicators of a heating oil leak to be on the lookout for:

• Your heating bills are suddenly more expensive: If you are suddenly spending more on your heating bills than you previously were and haven’t had your heat on more than usual or set your thermostat to a higher temperature, your tank may be leaking. Oftentimes, an oil leak will cause your heating system to lose fuel. This causes your heating system to use more energy, and this will end up being reflected on your energy bills.
• You smell oil inside your home: Heating oil leaks smell like diesel fuel. This is because certain compounds in the fuel evaporate into the air and turn into a vapor. If you smell something similar to diesel fuel, you may have an oil leak.
• Dead vegetation and plants near your storage tank: Leaking oil can soak into soil and contaminate it. As a result, vegetation and plants can die.
• There is an oily sheen in your home’s water: An oily sheen on the surface of your home’s water is a common sign of a heating oil leak. If this is happening to your home’s water, you should act immediately.

Why You Should Avoid Running Out of Heating Oil

Heating oil leaks aren’t the only problem that you can run into with a heating oil tank. Running out of fuel is also a major potential issue.

Not only does running out of heating oil mean that your home won’t have any heat, but this can also cause a whole bunch of problems for your heating system, such as:

• Strange noises in your lines, oil pumps, or filters.
• Clogged oil filters and nozzles that can negatively impact the efficiency of a heating system.
• Condensation, which can lead to bacterial growth. Bacterial growth can turn any leftover fuel in a tank into sludge.
• Filters that get clogged from feed lines that were filled with sediment and impurities.

Fredericks Fuel Can Help with Your Heating Oil Tank Issues

Homeowners here in Northern New Jersey can count on Fredericks Fuel for heating oil and heating equipment servicing.

Contact Fredericks Fuel today and let us know how we can help with your home heating needs.