Being a homeowner means keeping on top of all your requirements. Besides the upkeep, there are things that you have to keep your home warm. Many homes are heated by oil, and it is easy to run out if you are not sure how much there is in your tank. Reading oil tanks isn’t the easiest thing to do, so knowing how much oil you have left can be challenging.
While it may not matter in many instances, it is vital to know how much oil you have left if you can’t deliver for many days or weeks. On top of this, a tank gauge could be faulty, or if the tanks are old, they can be hard to read. So rather than rely on your tank gauge, it can mean measuring the oil levels yourself.
Last, if you decide on a new heating oil tank, you’ll need to know what size you will need. The first step to buying a heating oil tank is to determine the size; thus, you’ll know how much a full tank will hold and how long the oil will last.
In our guide, you’ll discover the most common size for many homes is 275 gallons. Here, we have all configurations, so by the end, you’ll know how to measure how much fuel is in your tank and how what size it could take to heat your home. (Read Deck Sizes Chart)
What Sizes Are Oil Tanks?
In the United States, heating oil is frequently used to keep homes warm throughout the winter.
If you’ve recently moved into a new house or are planning to build one, you’ll be curious about the size of the heating oil tank you need to hold your fuel.
The key to keeping your home warm is keeping the right amount of fuel in your oil tank, no matter what the sizes.
Residential Heating Oil Tank Sizes
Residential heating oil tanks range from 220 gallons to 1,000 gallons, with 275 gallons being the most common. The two most common designs for a heating oil tank are oval and cylindrical.
Oval Tanks
Oval tanks can be mounted vertically or horizontally. You’ll use a tank’s width, height, and length to estimate the tank’s overall storage capacity.
A tank with 275 gallons will have 44 inches in width, 27 inches high, and 60 inches long (measured horizontally).
Any fuel tank size that holds 330 gallons will have dimensions of 44 inches width, 27 inches tall, and 72 inches long (measured horizontally).
The more the storage capacity of your heating oil tank, the larger the dimensions and the longer your oil tank stick.
Cylindrical Tanks
As we have seen, a 275-gallon tank is required for a typical residence. If you live in a tiny house, a 220-gallon tank may be plenty to keep you warm. However, you may require a 1,000-gallon tank for larger residences.
Horizontal installation is used for cylindrical tanks. Again, it is simple to estimate their size based on their dimensions.
A tank with a diameter of 38 inches and a length of 60 inches has a capacity of 300 gallons. Tanks that hold 500 gallons come with dimensions of 65 inches long and 48 inches in diameter.
One thousand gallons of oil can be stored in a tank with the same diameter but 130 inches in length. The size of the home determines the size of the home heating oil tanks. Because there is more area to heat, larger homes require larger oil tanks. (Read Briggs And Stratton Oil Capacity Chart)
Types of Heating Oil Tanks
Single skin and double skin bunded tanks are the two types of heating oil.
As the name implies, a double-skin bunded tank is made up of an inner tank and a bigger tank.
This ensures that the oil will not pour out if a crack forms in the inner tank, where the oil is stored.
The outer tank acts as a barrier between you and outside forces. New heating tanks must have labels that show the maximum amount of oil they can contain.
However, such labels may not be present on older tanks, which often leads to measuring the size of a tank to determine how much oil your heating oil tank can hold.
Another method is to fill an empty tank with water to determine how much oil it can contain, though you don’t want to pour this down the drain afterward.
A measuring stick and fuel oil tank chart is a much better and quicker way to see what oil is in your tank, especially if your oil tank gauge doesn’t offer correct readings.
How Do I Determine The Size Of My Oil Tank?
Many home heating oil tanks have a float gauge that shows how full the tank is, but this isn’t the most accurate way to assess your oil level.
Although a float oil tank gauge typically gives you the answer of how much oil you have, you need to measure it another accurate way if they start sticking with gunk buildup.
The most accurate approach to manually measure your oil level is sticking a long, clean stick when attempting to figure out how much heating oil you can place in your tank.
You can purchase a stick with markings for this if you are interested. Remember to make sure the tank stick is long enough to prevent falling into the tank!
Remove the plug or cap from the top of the tank and lower the stick straight down into the hole until it reaches the bottom to use a tank stick to measure. (Read Lawn Mower Oil Type Troy Bilt)
Then take out the stick and count how many inches of oil are visible on it. Next, figure out how many gallons of oil are in the tank using the calculator on this website or one of the gasoline oil tank charts. Although this figure will not be accurate, it should be near.
Keep in mind that the oil business will not fill any tank to the top if you measure your fuel oil tank to determine how much oil to order.
They will always leave room for expansion in the tank. They will fill the tank to about 90% of its rated capacity, or roughly 250 gallons in a 275-gallon tank.
How Many Gallons Is In a 275-Gallon Tank?
| Capacity | 275 Gallon (flat) | 275 Gallon (upright) | 500 Gallon | 550 Gallon | 1000 Gallon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tank Width or Diameter | inches | 44 X 27 inches | 48 inches | 48 inches | 48 inches |
| Tank Length | 60 inches | 60 inches | 65 inches | 72 inches | 130 inches |
| 1 inches | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 2 inches | 14 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 14 |
| 3 inches | 23 | 9 | 13 | 14 | 26 |
| 4 inches | 32 | 14 | 20 | 22 | 40 |
| 5 inches | 42 | 19 | 28 | 30 | 55 |
| 6 inches | 52 | 25 | 36 | 40 | 72 |
| 7 inches | 63 | 31 | 46 | 50 | 90 |
| 8 inches | 75 | 38 | 55 | 60 | 110 |
| 9 inches | 86 | 44 | 66 | 71 | 130 |
| 10 inches | 97 | 51 | 76 | 83 | 150 |
| 11 inches | 109 | 58 | 88 | 95 | 173 |
| 12 inches | 120 | 65 | 99 | 107 | 196 |
| 13 inches | 132 | 72 | 111 | 120 | 219 |
| 14 inches | 143 | 79 | 123 | 133 | 243 |
| 15 inches | 155 | 86 | 135 | 146 | 267 |
| 16 inches | 166 | 94 | 148 | 160 | 292 |
| 17 inches | 178 | 101 | 161 | 174 | 317 |
| 18 inches | 189 | 108 | 174 | 188 | 342 |
| 19 inches | 200 | 115 | 187 | 202 | 368 |
| 20 inches | 212 | 122 | 200 | 216 | 394 |
| 21 inches | 222 | 129 | 214 | 230 | 420 |
| 22 inches | 233 | 136 | 227 | 245 | 446 |
| 23 inches | 243 | 143 | 241 | 260 | 473 |
| 24 inches | 252 | 151 | 254 | 275 | 500 |
| 25 inches | 261 | 158 | 268 | 290 | 527 |
| 26 inches | 268 | 165 | 281 | 305 | 554 |
| 27 inches | 275 | 172 | 295 | 320 | 580 |
| 28 inches | 179 | 308 | 334 | 606 | |
| 29 inches | 186 | 321 | 348 | 632 | |
| 30 inches | 193 | 334 | 362 | 658 | |
| 31 inches | 200 | 347 | 376 | 683 | |
| 32 inches | 207 | 360 | 390 | 708 | |
| 33 inches | 214 | 373 | 404 | 733 | |
| 34 inches | 221 | 385 | 417 | 757 | |
| 35 inches | 228 | 397 | 430 | 781 | |
| 36 inches | 235 | 408 | 443 | 804 | |
| 37 inches | 242 | 421 | 455 | 827 | |
| 38 inches | 248 | 432 | 467 | 850 | |
| 39 inches | 254 | 443 | 479 | 870 | |
| 40 inches | 259 | 453 | 490 | 890 | |
| 41 inches | 264 | 463 | 500 | 910 | |
| 42 inches | 268 | 472 | 510 | 928 | |
| 43 inches | 272 | 481 | 520 | 945 | |
| 44 inches | 275 | 488 | 528 | 960 | |
| 45 inches | 495 | 536 | 974 | ||
| 46 inches | 501 | 544 | 986 | ||
| 47 inches | 506 | 547 | 995 | ||
| 48 inches | 508 | 550 | 1000 |
How Much Oil Does A 275-Gallon Tank Hold?
275 Gallon Oil Tank – Vertical
The most typical tank size for home heating oil is the 275-gallon vertical oil tank. To allow for growth, this tank is typically filled to a maximum of roughly 250 gallons of fuel (about 6 inches from the top of the tank).
275 Gallon Oil Tank – Horizontal (Flat)
The horizontal (flat) 275-gallon tank is nearly identical to its vertical version on a fuel oil tank chart, but it lies flat on its side for low-clearance installations.
These tanks are far less frequent than vertical ones, although they are utilized regularly in crawl spaces and under decks. Typically, these tanks are filled to a capacity of 250 gallons.
330 Gallon Oil Tank – Vertical
The 330-gallon vertical steel tank is comparable to the 275-gallon vertical steel tank, except it is a foot longer. Typically, these tanks are filled to a capacity of 300 gallons. (Read Polycrylic vs. Polyurethane)
330 Gallon Oil Tank – Horizontal (Flat)
The 330 gallon horizontal (flat) steel tank is a foot longer than the 275 gallon horizontal. Typically, these tanks are filled to a capacity of 300 gallons.
500 Gallon Cylinder Fuel Oil Tank
The 500-gallon cylinder is often filled to 450 gallons.
550 Gallon Cylinder Heating Oil Tank
The 550-gallon tank size cylinder is usually topped with 500 gallons of fuel.
1000 Gallon Cylinder Oil Tank
The 1000 gallon tank is a standard size for a tank in the ground. These tanks are usually filled with about 900 gallons.
You use a fuel oil tank chart to convert gallon amounts from the inches of oil remaining on your measuring dip-stick after you dip it.
If you use this chart correctly, you’ll get an estimate of how many gallons are in your heating oil tank.
Before you begin, double-check that your oil tank size is right and relates to your fuel oil tank chart
What You Need:
- Fuel oil tank measuring stick
- Fuel oil tank chart
To begin, locate your tank size in the Size width/ diameter
Length section at the top of the oil fuel tank chart.
You’ll only use this down the column to measure your oil tank now that you’ve determined its size.
The first column of the oil tank chart displays inches) and the size of your heating tank is the only two down columns that matter (Length X Width Down Column).
So, if your horizontal is 275 inches and your measuring stick is 27 inches, you have 275 gallons.
If the measuring stick reads 2 inches, it’s time to stock up on heating oil.
Fuel Oil Tank Measuring Instructions:
- Remove the oil fill cover from the fuel oil tank and insert the tank stick until it reaches the bottom.
- Remove the stick and measure the amount of oil visible on it in inches.
- Multiply the number of inches on your stick by the size of your fuel oil tank on the fuel oil tank chart to approximate the number of gallons.
| 275 Gallon Oil Tank Gauge Chart | |
|---|---|
| Oil depth | Gallons Remaining |
| 1″ | 3 |
| 2″ | 8 |
| 3″ | 15 |
| 4″ | 23 |
| 5″ | 32 |
| 6″ | 42 |
| 7″ | 53 |
| 8″ | 63 |
| 9″ | 74 |
| 10″ | 86 |
| 11″ | 98 |
| 12″ | 110 |
| 13″ | 122 |
| 14″ | 135 |
| 15″ | 148 |
| 16″ | 160 |
| 17″ | 172 |
| 18″ | 184 |
| 19″ | 196 |
| 20″ | 207 |
| 21″ | 217 |
| 22″ | 228 |
| 23″ | 246 |
| 24″ | 255 |
| 25″ | 264 |
| 26″ | 270 |
| 27″ | 275 |
| 550 Gallon Oil Tank Chart | |
|---|---|
| Oil depth | Gallons Remaining |
| 1″ | 3 |
| 2″ | 7 |
| 3″ | 14 |
| 4″ | 21 |
| 5″ | 23 |
| 6″ | 28 |
| 7″ | 48 |
| 8″ | 58 |
| 9″ | 69 |
| 10″ | 81 |
| 11″ | 92 |
| 12″ | 104 |
| 13″ | 117 |
| 14″ | 129 |
| 15″ | 143 |
| 16″ | 156 |
| 17″ | 169 |
| 18″ | 183 |
| 19″ | 197 |
| 20″ | 211 |
| 21″ | 225 |
| 22″ | 239 |
| 23″ | 254 |
| 24″ | 268 |
| 25″ | 283 |
| 26″ | 297 |
| 27″ | 312 |
| 28″ | 326 |
| 29″ | 340 |
| 30″ | 354 |
| 31″ | 368 |
| 32″ | 382 |
| 33″ | 395 |
| 34″ | 408 |
| 35″ | 422 |
| 36″ | 434 |
| 37″ | 447 |
| 38″ | 459 |
| 39″ | 470 |
| 40″ | 482 |
| 41″ | 493 |
| 42″ | 503 |
| 43″ | 513 |
| 44″ | 522 |
| 45″ | 530 |
| 46″ | 537 |
| 47″ | 544 |
| 48″ | 548 |
| 49″ | 550 |
