Resources & FAQs

If you have questions about oil heating, our resources section may offer you answers. Here are a few of our most frequently asked questions (FAQ’s).

Is Oilheating Safe?

Unlike natural gas or propane, Heating Oil evaporates very slowly in the atmosphere making it, therefore, much less-combustible in the atmosphere than natural gas or propane.

For Heating Oil to combust in a boiler or furnace a number of events must occur, in specific sequence:

• Heating Oil is drawn from the storage tank to the oilburner by the oilburner’s pump, and at high-pressure the heating oil is pumped into a nozzle and thru to the tiny opening (orifice) of the nozzle, where it is atomized into an extremely-fine spray (similar to that of a spray can), and is mixed with a large volume of air supplied by the oilburner’s internal fan; at the front of the nozzle’s orifice, the tips of two electrodes, set about +-½” apart, and with an electrical arc of 10,000-volts, ignites the atomized oil/air mixture – combustion occurs! within the oilburner, a photo-electric cell (sensitive to the ultraviolet light of the flame) senses whether or not sustained combustion is happening – this is called ‘proving flame’. if the photocell ‘proves flame’, the oilburner is allowed to operate if, however, the photocell does not ‘prove flame’, the photocell’s relay system shuts down electricity to the oilburner – all systems stop!

Is the Heating Oil in a Storage Tank Dangerous?

Under normal conditions and usage – NO! The storage tank has a vent line (pipe) to the outside, so that vapors do not accumulate inside the tank but flow, in tiny amounts, into the atmosphere, not into your home.

What Is the Difference Between a Boiler and a Furnace?

Boiler or Furnace use the oilburner to heat water (boiler) or air (furnace):

• Boiler – hot water (hydronic) or steam system; (1) hot water from the boiler is forced thru pipes, via a mechanical pump (circulator), into the radiators in your rooms; (2) steam-boiler – generates steam instead of hot water, and natural convection circulates the steam thru the pipes and into radiators or convectors in your rooms; a circulator is not required for steam-heat systems.
• Furnace – hot air is fan-driven from the furnace’ heat exchanger thru ductwork system; the heated air is forced thru vents (registers) in walls, or ceilings, or floors in your rooms.

What Is the Most Efficient Method of Regulating My Thermostat?

Select a temperature-setting at which you are comfortable, then – set it and forget it! Raising and lowering a thermostat’s settings during the day is, actually, counterproductive as it uses additional fuel. Under normal winter heating conditions your heating oil usage will vary little, year-to-year, if your thermostat remains at a constant temperature-setting.

Explain the Automatic Delivery System!

The National Weather Service (NWS) calculates, accumulates, forecasts and publishes Heating Degree-Days (HDD) on a daily basis, October 1st thru March 31st. A human comfort factor, 65F, is used as the Mean Temperature. When the outside average temperature for a given 24-hour period falls below the Mean Temperature, heating is assumed to be required; HDD are calculated, accumulated, and forecast; computer-monitored usage of your Heating Oil begins. Computer-stored records of your Heating Oil usage from previous seasons are calculated into present-season usage; averages are then drawn to forecast your next delivery.

Important! Calendar Dates and/or Days of the Week are not used in the Automatic Delivery system.