When you are in the midst of a heat wave, it’s hard to even image you could use heating oil in the summer months. After all, if your air conditioning is working overtime to keep your home comfortable, there’s probably no need to keep the oil tank filled in June, July and August, right? Wrong.

Even though you won’t use as much heating oil in the warmer months as you do in the winter months, you still need oil in your tank. Here’s why:

You Use Heating Oil in Summer for Hot Water

You may use oil to heat water for showers, baths, cooking, and washing dishes and clothes. The largest use of hot water in the summer months is for showers. Even if you’re just taking a quick five-minute shower, you’re going to want to have hot water.

Your dishwasher needs hot water to get your dishes clean too. If you wash your dishes by hand, you will certainly want some hot water. Cold water just won’t do on greasy, dirty pots and pans. Hot water is necessary for these and other routine cleaning chores.

You Use Heating Oil in Summer to Power your Furnace

Some homes use the furnace as part of its cooling system. Your furnace may be providing the power to an outdoor compressor and AC evaporator coil. The compressor keeps the evaporator coil cool with refrigerant to remove heat and humidity from your home. Your furnace’s blower then spreads the cold air from the coil throughout your home. And oil powers your furnace.

Knowing what heating oil is used for in your home during the summer months is essential in determining how much oil you will use. There are several key variables, including:

How many people live in the house?
How often do you use the water for showers, baths, laundry, and washing dishes? (The more hot water you need, the more heating oil you will use).
How efficient is your heating oil system?

Nevertheless, here are some guidelines.

Again, as logic indicates, the better condition and the higher the efficiency of the furnace and tank, the less oil you will use. The best way to make sure everything is performing as it should is to schedule regular annual tune-ups and to replace old equipment you’ve been coddling along for a while.

According to FuelSnap, the amount of heating oil used for hot water will typically be about 25 gallons a month in the non-heating season months. If you don’t have a calculator handy, that’s a little less than a gallon a day to heat your water. Again – this is assuming you don’t take very long, hot showers every morning, your entire extended family hasn’t come to stay, and that you don’t run the dishwasher for one dish at a time.

Even if you use a minimum amount or no oil in summer, experts recommend keeping the tank as full as possible.

The Benefits of Filling Your Heating Oil Tank in the Summer

If you let your home heating oil run out in the warmer months, or if you only have a small amount in the tank, condensation can form on the interior walls. As the water forms, it starts to drip down to the bottom of the tank. Even if there is a little oil in the tank, the water, which is denser than oil, will sink to the bottom. Once it is on the bottom of the tank, the water creates the ideal environment for the growth of bacteria and other microorganisms.

Having a full tank:

Reduces condensation in the tank, protecting it from erosion.
Prevents sediment from building up. As sediment accumulates it can cause sludge which can clog fuel lines and cause damage to the tank as well.
Ensures you have the fuel you need when you need it – for hot water, to run the furnace or when an early Fall cold snap hits.

Keeping your heating oil tank full during summer prevents condensation from building up, and saves you the hassle and cost of repairs once the heating season returns. Automatic oil delivery is perfect for homeowners who don’t want to worry about their tanks running dry or needing to place a call for last minute deliveries.

Choose Levco for All Your Heating and Cooling Needs

Trust Levco to make oil deliveries when appropriate and to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for all of your home or business HVAC service needs. With a full fleet of trucks and technicians located in Trumbull, CT, we are in your neighborhood almost every day! Contact us at (203) 533-8249!

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LEVCO’s MISSION

TO SOLVE PROBLEMS FOR OUR CUSTOMERS, OFTEN BEFORE THEY EVEN KNOW THEY HAVE THEM – YOU CAN LEAN ON US!

Levco is the premier provider of heating & cooling service as well as fuel oil and propane delivery in Fairfield County, CT.

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CT Lic. 303607
HOD 194 / DOT 663660

55 Merritt Blvd, Trumbull, CT 06611

Phone: (203) 533-8249

Email: service@levcooil.com

Will I Use Heating Oil in the Summer?