If your heating oil tank is approaching its 15-year mark, or showing signs of wear and tear, it’s time to start thinking about an upgrade. Before you make your purchase, however, it’s important to know that you’re getting the best size to suit your household’s needs. As your local heating oil experts, Vaughn Oil is proud to provide you with five key tips about oil tank sizes.
Oil Tank Factors To Consider
Familiarize yourself with your current heating oil tank. What size oil tank do you currently have? What is its capacity, in gallons? And what are its dimensions, in terms of depth, width and height? Depending on the age of the tank, the capacity may be listed on the nameplate. Older tanks will require you to estimate the capacity based on the dimensions.
Get to know heating oil tank sizes. While today’s standard aboveground residential heating oil tank size is 275 gallons, they range in size from 275 to 1,000 gallons. They come in both vertical and horizontal orientations. (Specific capacities include 275, 288, 340, 420, 500, 550, 675, and 1,000 gallons.)
Understand how much space you have available. Measure your space before you shop for a new tank.
Think about the size of your home and the number of people who live there. Have you had children since your last tank was installed? Or has anyone moved in or out? Has the size of the house itself changed? All of this will factor into what size tank you need.
Consider your lifestyle. Are you planning to travel much or spend long stretches of time living elsewhere? If so, be sure to take that into account when you look for a new tank.