heating oil...

[twomonkeys.livejournal.com]

I've tried searching the internets but I cannot find the answer...what happens when you run out of heating oil (other than becoming very cold?)
I ask because me & the missus are down to just-above 1/8th of a tank and I don't realistically see an oil delivery I called for on Friday arriving until Tuesday at the earliest (we live almost at the top of Winter Hill.) I already have the thermostat set at 60 degrees (which has made our cats *very* snuggly) but the oil level is still falling, albeit slower than when it was set at 65. This is the second time this winter that we've gotten close to running out of oil 24 hours before a major snowstorm...I guess winter hates me.

Comments

[turil.livejournal.com]

I recommend turning off your heat before running out of fuel. If you do run out, you will need to bleed the system before it will work again. It's not terribly difficult, but if you don't know how to do it yourself, it will probably cost you a pretty penny unless you have a service contract that includes this. To keep your oil use down to the bare minimum, drop the temperature down at night and put lots of blankets on your bed. Then get up about 20 minutes before you'd normally get up and turn the heat on, so that when you are ready to get up, the place isn't quite so cold. Then have a big cup of hot tea to get you going! Then remember to turn the heat off when you leave the house, of course. As long as there are other people in the building using heat, you shouldn't have problems with pipes freezing. (In the last place my husband and I lived, the tennants on the first two floors kept their heat so high that out top floor apartment stayed at about 60° without any heat at all.) Oh, and bake lots of things in your oven to keep the place toasty and your bellies full of warm food! A hat is helpful too, as is a water bottle (filled with not quite boiling water) in your bed. Or take the opportunity to visit friends houses for a few days!

If your water heater is also using the oil, you really don't want to run out. Being cold in your home is bad, but not being able to take a hot shower when you want really sucks.