Newbie question on reading oil gauges

Smiley_Dan

We moved into a property that is on domestic heating oil a few months ago. We have an oil gauge on our tank outside. Upon moving in the gauge said there was no oil left, so we ordered some. All has worked fine.

However, I wanted to know something. The gauge on our tank is mounted higher than the tank itself. Does the level the gauge shows correspond to the level of the oil in the tank relative to the ground, or relative to the bottom of the gauge?

This is important because it means I know if the gauge reads zero, there may actually be oil left.

matelodave

Depends how the gauge works and how it's been calibrated (if its been calibrated)- the only way you can really check the actual level in a tank is with a sight tube or a dipstick which physically measures the depth of liquid in the tank. Once you've done it a few times with differing levels you can see what levels the gauge reads relative to your dipstick

Smiley_Dan

Great, thanks. Best to do that asap then so I can make sure I've got a dipstick long enough to hit the oil.

matelodave

Get a stick that's long enough to reach the bottom of the tank and do a few calculations to work out how much oil an inch is (easy with a cube shaped tank, a bit harder with a circular tank and very difficult (but not impossible) with a cylindrical one.
You can then mark the stick at regular intervals with the approx. volume so you will be able to work out your consumption and calibrate your gauge.

Kitten-B

We moved into a house with oil for the first time 8 months ago and I'm still learning! But my understanding is oil gauges are unreliable at best and a regular check with a dipstick (I like a bamboo cane) is better.

The other key thing I've learnt is approximately (depending on factors) the bottom 1/8 of the tank of oil doesn't really count as the pipe out is usually a few cms from the bottom and sediment will gather at the bottom of oil tanks.

Last night was the second time we've 'ran out of oil' despite having a full 16cm in our tank. Delivery today and home later to try and bleed boiler / get rid of airlock / whatever that means in the dark while kids complain of cold. Lesson learnt!