You probably don’t do a lot of thinking about heating oil once the calendar flips to June here in Maryland – but if your tank is sitting empty waiting for an early fall fill-up, you should be.

The reason? An empty (or more than half-empty) heating oil tank is more likely to accumulate condensation (water) on its interior walls than a tank with more heating oil in it.

Condensation creates two problems for your heating oil tank: first, it encourages bacteria and other microorganisms in your fuel to grow – critters that will break your heating oil down into a thick sludge which can eventually enter the oil line and clog your oil piping system.

Second, since water is heavier than oil, it will sink to the bottom of your tank where it could speed corrosion and lead to a possible heating oil tank failure – a problem you won’t see coming until it’s too late.

The bottom line: Condensation is not good for your heating oil tank, but you can avoid (or at least minimize) it by keeping your tank at least half full during the offseason (remember, your heating oil won’t spoil if it sits in your tank a couple of months!).

Topping off your tank now could be a good way to save some money, too, since offseason heating oil prices are typically lower than in periods of high demand.

Need an offseason heating oil delivery to top off your tank? Contact us today. While you’re at it, why not sign up for our Budget Plan to make your bills more predictable next winter, or Automatic Delivery so you’ll never have to think about managing your heating oil again? Both services are FREE and will make paying your bills a snap in winter 2018-19!