Let’s set the scene. You’re lounging by the hotel pool, cocktail in hand, soaking up the rays and letting life pass you by. It’s bliss, and exactly what you need after a long hard few months.
 
However, a thought suddenly springs to mind – did you turn off your heating before you set off on your travels? You were so stressed with the last-minute packing; it must have slipped your mind!
 
You start to panic, frantically looking for your phone to message your neighbour, and then remember you forgot to give them a key before you left as well. The whole thing’s a complete disaster, and you start to dread how much the bills are going to be when you get back home.
 
Don’t let this situation happen to you – follow these three tips to ensure your home stays in tip-top condition while you’re away.
 

1. Check your heating

 
Avoiding a huge energy bill should be your number one priority. After all, there is nothing worse than getting back from holiday to find an unexpected bill greeting you on your doorstep. Save yourself a ton of money by turning your heating off before you go away, or setting your thermostat to an ‘away’ option if it has one.
 
If you have an oil tank in your garden, make sure you keep the oil level topped up before you go away. If you’re off on a summer holiday, for example, oil during these months is actually cheaper, and having a fuller tank will avoid moist and condensation building up. If this were to happen, you could be leaving yourself susceptible to leaks, which can be very expensive to clean up.
 

2. Tell your neighbour

 
One of the easiest ways of keeping your home secure is by simply letting your neighbour know that you’re going away. By doing so, you’ll have somebody best placed and readily available to keep an eye on your property. If you give them a key as well, they’ll also be able to pop around once every while to check everything is still OK.
 

3. Unplug appliances

 
Unplugging appliances is a vital thing to do and not just for saving money – for staying safe as well. Many appliances, such as hair straighteners, irons and ovens, pose a fire risk when they’re left on, so it’s important to turn them off before you go away to avoid any unnecessary damage.
 
While you don’t need to unplug every single appliance, you should unplug as many as you feel necessary. Leave the fridge on though – there’s nothing worse than coming back to a load of warm, mouldy food.
 
Here at SG Tanks, we are experts at installing and maintaining oil tanks. For any help or advice on how to look after it before you go away, get in touch with us and a friendly member of our team will be more than happy to help.

While you’re lounging by the pool or manning the BBQ this summer, spare a thought for your oil tank sitting at home.

 

It’ll probably be the last thing you want to think about when you’re soaking up the sun, but the heat and humidity of the summer months can seriously affect oil tanks. This is because the warmer air can cause condensation and moist air to build up in your tank, leading to rust and corrosion. In turn, this corrosion can eventually lead to leaks and other issues, which could be expensive to sort out.

 

So, how can you guard against this? Obviously, you can’t control how hot the weather is so is there anything you can do to reduce the risk?

 

Good news – there is.

 

1. Check on it

If you want something to work as efficiently as possible, you have to maintain it. The same applies to oil tanks. By checking on your tank regularly, you can keep it free of leaks. This will not only save you money in the long run, but it will also protect the environment.

 

Since summer is often a time when you don’t need heat, there is less of a demand for professionals to come out and service oil tanks. Therefore, it’s easier for leaks and minor tank damage to be overlooked.

 

Make sure you clue yourself up on what to look for when checking your tank, both internally or externally. Otherwise, a minor issue could manifest into a major problem which you’ll only realise when you need to use the tank again.

 

2. Fill it up

Many people leave their oil tanks for the summer with either a little bit of heating oil left in, or completely empty. While this might make sense, leaving your tank so empty can allow moisture to build up and cause corrosion. A very easy and effective way of preventing this is simply by filling your tank up over the summer. After all, the less space there is in the tank, the less chance there is for moisture to accumulate. Simple.

 

Moreover, as summer is an off-peak season, heating oil prices are normally cheaper so filling your tank then can be more cost-effective. You’ll also get the added bonus of not having to wait for a professional to come out when you need heat in the winter months, so it’s a win-win.

 

Final thoughts

Summertime can be a lot of fun. A time full of beach activities, BBQs and water fights – what’s not to like?

 

What is less fun though, is coming back from a holiday to an expensive oil tank leak because you didn’t maintain it well enough before you went away. Don’t make that mistake. Check on your tank and make sure to fill it up before you go away. Then, you can feel rest assured that it’ll still be fine by the time you get back.