Does Heating Oil Freeze?
How to Prevent Gelling and Protect Your Equipment
While the past few winters have been generally milder, we still get some serious cold. Just last Christmas, a bomb cyclone caused temperatures to plunge across much of the country, and the sudden increased demand for natural gas to heat homes in our area resulted in a dangerous supply problem. For homes using heating oil, supply wasn’t a problem—but the temperatures were low enough to cause fuel to freeze or gel. Since heating oil can begin to gel at 16 degrees, it isn’t all that uncommon a problem here in northern New Jersey.
What Happens When Heating Oil Gels
Unlike water, which turns to solid ice, when heating oil “freezes” it turns extremely thick and waxy. In this state, it clogs lines and filters, and your heating system shuts down. It can also cause long-term damage your system in several ways:
- Heating oil tank — When oil gels inside your heating oil tank, the sludge settles to the bottom, shrinking available space and leaving behind less burnable oil. Eventually, that sludge will corrode your tank and eventually cause a leak.
- Heating oil lines — Gelled oil builds on heating oil line walls, narrowing the passageway like a clogged artery. With less fuel reaching the igniter, your heating efficiency will suffer, leading to higher energy bills.
- Atomizing nozzle — The atomizing nozzle turns liquid heating oil into a vapor that can be burned inside your heating equipment – but gelled fuel can block that nozzle, meaning that less oil will get through to convert to heat. Once again, heating efficiency suffers, leading to higher bills for you and, eventually, repairs for your heating equipment.
- Fuel filter — As gelled oil is forced through the filter, it clogs quickly and needs more frequent replacement.
The good news is that there are ways to protect the oil in your tank from freezing.
Prevent Freezing
The best way to keep heating oil from freezing is to install your oil storage tank indoors. Here are other steps you can take to prevent your heating oil from gelling:
- Use treated oil — Heating oil additives are designed to fight freezing and the sludge. Do not use antifreeze in your oil tank. Contact us to learn more about the best heating oil additives to prevent gelling.
- Use blended heating oils — A mix of diesel and/or kerosene in your heating oil will lower the gel point of the heating oil. Again, ask us about how we can help with this.
- Cover your heating oil tank — Build a shed around your heating oil tank to insulate it against the elements.
- Bury your fuel line — If you have an aboveground heating oil line, consider burying it. The ground will naturally insulate the lines.
- Install a wider fuel line — A wider fuel line can minimize gel blockages.
We also recommend getting regular preventive maintenance every year for your heating system. A seasonal tune-up means our technicians can identify and correct small problems caused by gelling before they can become expensive breakdowns. Ask us about our money-saving service plans, which include a tune-up every year as well as 24/7 emergency service plus discounts on repairs.
Just remember: NEVER tamper with your heating oil equipment or fuel! Leave any adjustments of your system to the expert team at Bolkema.
Ready for a Heating Oil Delivery?
We understand you’ve got a lot of choices when it comes to heating oil dealers. There’s a reason so many of your neighbors in Bergen County and the surrounding areas choose Bolkema for all their home heating and cooling needs. We’re here for you 24/7, not just for reliable heating oil deliveries, but for emergency repairs, maintenance, and heating and cooling equipment installations. We’ve got you covered with convenient services (like automatic delivery—and so much more!) that give you real value, not just a cheap price per gallon.
Contact us today to learn more and become a customer.