What do I do if I run out of heating oil?

Check it really is the oil

Before you order in a hurry, make sure the tank is actually empty. OFTEC points out that a gauge can stop working, so a tank that seems to have oil may be empty. A faulty gauge can mislead the other way too. If you can reach it safely, take off the fill cap and look in, or dip the tank with a long, clean pole (see how to check your oil level). If there is oil, the fault lies elsewhere: see why an oil boiler will not start.

Get oil on the way

• Pick the soonest date. On Fueltool every price shows its delivery option and date, so you can choose the earliest rather than the cheapest. Orders start at 500 litres.
• Say you have run out. UKIFDA, the fuel distributors' association, asks customers to tell suppliers honestly when they will run out so they can prioritise. People who say they have run out when they still have oil make things worse for those who really have.
• Ask about a small top-up. Some local suppliers can sell a small amount or let you collect from their depot. UKIFDA notes that collection sales are uncommon and cost more per litre, so ring round.
• Aged 75 or over? Ask whether the supplier runs UKIFDA's free Cold Weather Priority Scheme.

Meanwhile, if your hot water cylinder has an electric immersion heater, it can still give you hot water.

Buy only from sellers you can check

A cold house makes it tempting to say yes to the first offer. Buy from an established supplier with a proper address and phone number, and be wary of anyone who knocks on the door or messages you offering oil far below everyone else's price, especially if they want paying up front. Only put the fuel your boiler is set up for into the tank, which for most homes is standard 28-second kerosene.

Restarting the boiler

When a tank runs dry, air gets into the pipe between the tank and the burner. One boiler maker explains that after the refill the burner will usually try to start, fail and go to lockout, often shown by a red light or button, and the oil line then needs bleeding to let the air out. Aberdeenshire Council warns that running out is likely to mean the boiler needs re-priming, at extra cost.

• Reset no more than twice. OFTEC says a burner reset should never be attempted more than twice, for safety reasons. Pressing it repeatedly without fixing the cause can damage the burner.
• Leave bleeding to a technician unless your boiler maker covers it. Some boiler makers publish bleeding instructions for owners. If yours does not, or you are not comfortable, it is a job for an OFTEC-registered technician.

Running a tank dry can also draw sediment and water from the bottom of the tank into the filter and pipes. UKIFDA advises keeping at least 12 inches (300 mm) of oil in the tank for this reason.

When to call an OFTEC technician

• The boiler still will not fire after two resets.
• It fires, then keeps cutting out.
• You smell oil or see oil around the tank, pipes or boiler.
• You are unsure about any step.

Never wash spilled oil into a drain. If oil is heading for a drain or watercourse, call the pollution hotline: 0800 80 70 60 in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, or 0300 065 3000 in Wales.

To stop it happening again, check your level regularly and reorder before it drops below about a quarter of a tank (see when to reorder). When you are ready, compare prices for your postcode.