How To Keep Your Home Heating Oil From Freezing

Here in Rhode Island, heating oil is among the best ways to heat your home. Safe, efficient and effective, it also lasts in storage, making it possible to order when the price is right or when it works for you.

One issue that can come up, however, is that home heating oil can freeze when the temperatures drop. Freezing oil can stop your boiler or furnace from functioning, which is something we never want to see happen.

What Makes Oil Freeze?

As temperatures drop, heating oil becomes cloudy. This change does not affect its performance, but it is an important marker in realizing that it is on its way to potentially freezing. Here’s what leads to ultra-low-sulfur oil freezing:

• When the temperature is too low, the paraffin in the heating oil starts separating from the oil and crystallizing.
• The crystals formed in this process will clog your fuel line and slow—or eventually stop—the flow of the heating oil.
• When the temperature reaches -15 degrees, the oil gels, thickening to the point where it could shut down your system.

How To Prevent Gelling

It is possible to prevent your heating oil from gelling, even in the coldest temperatures of winter. Here are a few steps you can take.

1. Prevent your filter from clogging with wax. You can do this by installing your oil filter indoors.
2. Insulate your fuel entire fuel oil supply system with a waterproof insulating material.
3. Use blended or treated heating oil. Kerosene and other improved additives have a lower cloud and freezing point than traditional fuel oil does.
4. Protect your oil tank. Keep your fuel lines buried underground. If your heating oil tank is outdoors, we recommend that you house it in a shelter.

Find out about heating oil delivery to your Rhode Island home today! Contact us to learn more about all that Vaugh Oil has to offer, including service plans for your peace of mind.