“My old company has always delivered to this oil tank why won’t Blueox?”

Last week we shifted gears and started talking about safe propane gas supply. We decided our next conversation should revolve around the safe supply of oil to homeowners like you. Responsible delivery of fuel oil or kerosene is just as important as responsible delivery of propane gas.

Starting this week’s article, we again don’t want to make any assumptions on what consumers do or don’t know. Large trucks deliver fuel oil and kerosene to homes through a pipe that sticks out from the tank. Homeowners typically have a 275g tank (sizes do vary but this is most common) in either their basement, garage or just outside the building (sometimes underground as well). Unlike propane tanks, oil tanks are the full responsibility of the homeowner (and most people don’t know that either). If there is a leak in your oil tank and your basement fills with oil – you may be fully responsible for the environmental cleanup. (Don’t worry we will share more on this in a minute).

We test oil tanks.

So what does Blueox Energy do that separates us from other suppliers in the area when it comes to safety? We test oil tanks. Blueox is proud to be one of the only companies in the area that offer ultrasonic testing of oil tanks. We ensure you can replace your tank proactively – instead of reactively after a spill!

At Blueox we hear it all the time …

“So and so company has always delivered to this tank why won’t Blueox?”

“I don’t see any wet spots – It’s fine”

“Yeah I see wet spots all the time – I just paint over them”

Blueox won’t deliver because we choose not to put YOU in the situation where your basement or front yard fills with oil. Blueox wants to avoid putting YOU in the situation of paying thousands in excavating costs from a spill.  Blueox won’t do that to YOU!

It is disheartening to hear feedback from time to time that consumers have lost so much trust in companies out there (I mean we get it – it frustrates us too). Blueox tests oil tanks like yours, NOT just to sell you something, but to SAVE you from something. No one WANTS to spend money on an oil tank.

It’s not fun, it’s not pretty, you probably won’t want to show it off to your neighbors … but Blueox doesn’t want YOU to spend money on a spill either. And to be honest, we don’t want to spend money on a spill because our driver “hoped” the tank would hold. So we just don’t do it.

If you don’t want us to tell you your tank is bad – then we probably aren’t the right supplier for you. If you do want us to test your tank and let you know when things are starting to deteriorate  (INSIDE WHERE YOU CAN’T SEE) we ARE the delivery company for you!

Wrong Jacko.

“I’m not worried if anything ever happened I will just sue them for the damages, after all it wasn’t leaking until they made the delivery.” Wrong Jacko. If our driver makes a safe delivery to your home, and the tank isn’t leaking when he completes his job and leaves, we aren’t liable. If the tank DOES start to leak, or give indication it is not safe for delivery while we are delivering – we may be liable. At Blueox we don’t want any part of being liable for an oil spill – that’s a bad day for everyone.

We train our drivers to avoid it by looking for the following warning signs that you can now look for too!

• Is the tank on four solid legs? (Not to point out the obvious but tanks are rounded and can roll  if not supported by four stable legs – and no your cinder block base doesn’t count.)
• Is the fill pipe and vent made of metal or pvc plastic? Metal = good Plastic = bad. In NYS it gets cold and cold may lead to cracked pipes. PVC pipes are unsafe and against code. The good news is the fill and vent can be changed without replacing an entire tank.
• Does the tank have signs of rust or wet spots? Oil tanks rot from the inside out so exterior rust and wet spots can be red flags that the steel is losing stability and starting to give. Don’t just paint over them – your tank is trying to warn you!
• Does the tank make a whistle noise while being filled? Ask your driver. If he doesn’t hear the whistle he shouldn’t be delivering to your tank. The whistle indicates that fuel is filling the tank and pressure is being pushed out as storage room decreases.
• Does the tank look “bloated”? A bloated tank could be an indication of pressure building inside the tank which means a potential blockage that could cause the tank to completely blow out.

 

Our blog this week is another indication of how we are a different kind of energy company. Stay empowered by continuing to read our blog articles. If you don’t feel your supplier is looking for any of the red flags above, give us a call we are happy to help.

Most importantly if you think your tank maybe unsafe but you can’t afford a new one, we can help. We offer financing options and we participate in the NYS HEAP Program which may replace the tank for income qualified homeowners free of charge. Just call us today!