How To Prevent Heating Oil From Freezing
There are many types of heating fuels that can be used to heat residential and commercial buildings. However, heating oil is incredibly popular in many parts of the country. This fuel oil, also known as #2 heating oil, is popular because it has a high calorific value, which simply means that it produces a lot of heat per unit.
Furthermore, it can be safely stored in oil tanks for future use. Property owners can choose to buy and store fuel during the offseason, when prices are low, and use the fuel when the cold season arrives.
However, there is one major challenge of using heating oil. When temperatures drop, fuel oil can ‘freeze’, which will force your heater to shut down for lack of fuel. However, this is totally avoidable.
In this article, we will discuss what causes heating oil to freeze, what to do if your fuel oil freezes, and how you can prevent it altogether.
How Heating Oil Freezes
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Fuel oil is normally stored outside in either underground or above-ground storage tanks. When temperatures drop below 35 degrees Fahrenheit, heating oil normally starts becoming cloudy. However, this will not affect your furnace since the fuel will still flow as usual. When temperatures drop below 20 degrees Fahrenheit, paraffin, a key component of heating oil, will start to crystallize and separate from the oil. As the wax crystals continue to form, they will cling to the internal walls of the fuel lines as well as the surface of the filter. As a result, the oil flow rate will reduce considerably, enough to shut down your heating system.
What To Do When Your #2 Heating Oil Freezes
When your fuel oil freezes, the first thing you need to do is call a heating company to service the entire system and bring it back to life. In the meantime, you should find an alternative source of heat to keep your family warm and comfortable. Using a portable electric heater is a great idea in such cases. You can also burn wood in the fireplace. Since the heat may still be insufficient, you should put on warm clothes as you wait for the heating company to respond to your emergency call. You can also try to thaw the fuel lines and melt the wax in your oil tank. The safest way to do this is to blow hot air from a hairdryer on the pipes. However, you should be careful when using this electric appliance on snow.
How To Prevent Fuel Oil From Freezing
Prevention is always better than a cure. For this reason, you should put in place measures to prevent heating oil from freezing. For instance, you can:
- Install the Oil Filter Indoors: Temperatures inside a house are always higher than the temperature outside. By installing the oil filter indoors, you will reduce the probability of clogging by wax.
- Insulate Your Fuel Lines: The oil inside fuel lines can easily freeze if there is no insulation. This is largely due to the large surface area that is exposed to the freezing temperatures. For this reason, you should insulate the entire fuel supply system with waterproof insulating material.
- Use Blended Heating Oil: Blended heating oils have a lower cloud point and freezing point than traditional heating oil. Usually, a blend of diesel fuel and kerosene is used to prevent freezing. However, only a heating expert should mix these components to come up with suitable heating oil that has a much lower freezing point.
To prevent #2 heating oil from freezing, you may also want to consider sheltering the fuel tank and burying the fuel line underground. An experienced heating technician can advise you accordingly on these issues.
Heating Oil Delivery Stockertown PA
When your fuel oil freezes, be sure to contact R.F. Ohl immediately. We can get your system back up and running in no time. We can also make sure that this doesn’t happen by making sure that your heating system is prepared for the winter. For professional and high-quality heating oil delivery, be sure to contact us. We also maintain and repair all different types of heating systems so that your home will feel warm and comfortable while being more energy-efficient. We also specialize in HVAC equipment installations, and propane delivery services. Be sure to contact R.F. Ohl for all of your home heating and comfort needs.
We service Ackermanville PA 18010, Bath PA 18014, Easton PA 18040, Martins Creek PA 18063, Nazareth PA 18064, Pen Argyl PA 18072, Stockertown PA 18083, Tatamy PA 18085, and Wind Gap PA 18091. We also service all of Carbon County, Monroe County, Lehigh County, Northampton County, and Schuylkill County.
Contact us today or give us a call at (610) 377-1098 if you have any questions.