FAQs

Propane and furnace oil both produce CO2 as a by-product of their combustion in your heating system. Litre-per-litre however, propane generates 43% less CO2 than furnace oil. Although it requires more propane to produce the same heat (BTUs) as a volume of furnace oil, substantially less atmospheric CO2 is created to achieve this heat. Propane heating systems also generally offer higher efficiencies, meaning that you gain more useable heat from a given volume of fuel.

Customers that we have converted from oil to propane have seen an average reduction of CO2 by fuel content of 25%. Depending on the size and efficiency of the home, that’s 1 to 3 tonnes of CO2 avoided annually, per home. These reductions have been achieved with our standard offerings of propane equipment, with no specialized or expensive components.

  • While there have been misconceptions surrounding the safety of propane (or LPG), all fuels have the potential to be dangerous when the proper precautions are not taken. The key to safety is proper use and handling.
  • Some of the characteristics of propane, along with the regulations applied to the equipment, training, and handling, make propane one of the safest fuels when compared to many other fuels such as gasoline, diesel and compressed natural gas (CNG).
  • Find more information on the safety of propane here from the Canadian Propane Association
Why do I need a carbon monoxide detector?
  • If you have fuel-burning appliances on more than one level of your home, you should have a carbon monoxide detector on each floor. For example, if you have a gas range on the main floor and a wood-burning fireplace on the lower level, you should have detectors on each of these floors.
  • Such fuel-burning appliances are generally tested and safe to use, but should there be a clogged vent line or any part of the appliance that becomes faulty, it could release hazardous levels of carbon monoxide in your home and death can occur within minutes. But you can keep your family safe by using a carbon monoxide detector which can alert you to the presence of this silent toxic gas.
What is Automatic Delivery?
    • Imagine you’re connected to a natural gas line, but every 4-6 weeks you see tire track in your driveway. Our degree-day system matches your fuel consumption to the temperature outside and we schedule your deliveries to reflect that demand for energy. This ensures you’re always topped up when you need it and aren’t left out in the cold.
  • It’s critical to inform us if you ever make any changes to your system as this will increase or decrease the fuel consumption. If changes are made, give us a call and we will re-assess your energy requirements.
  • An automatic delivery system allows us to properly schedule our routes to make sure you’re always topped up. If life happens and you forget to check your gauge, automatic delivery will ensure you don’t run out.
  • If you are concerned about the cost of delivery during peak season, consider going on our equal payment plan. This will allow you to have a budgetable amount throughout the year.

Oil

    • Oil tank gauges are pretty simple to find, recognize, and read. If your heating oil tank is above ground outdoors or indoors, look on top of the tank for a device similar to the one in the photos shown on this page.
  • If the heating oil tank is inaccessible above ground or buried, remote oil level gauges are available. Installing a remote-reading oil tank gauge permits reading of the oil tank level from an readout device inside the building.

Propane

  • Not all tanks have gauges. If your tank has a gauge, it is located on the top of the tank, usually under a lid or hood which can be lifted up to view the gauge. Look for a gauge dial with numbers from 5 to 95. The numbers indicate the percentage of propane in the tank.

For your convenience and comfort, please contact us if your gauge reading measures less than 30%.

  • Most people only call a heating service technician when their heating system breaks down. Yet as with any piece of mechanical equipment an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure – even with a furnace. Think about your car, would your drive 100,000 kms without an oil change or inspection? Your heating and cooling equipment works the same way.
  • See our services section for more information.
  • This all depends on the size and age of your home or cottage, outdoor conditions, efficiency and age of your furnace. Our experts will use a degree-day system matches your fuel consumption to the temperature outside and we schedule your deliveries to reflect that demand for energy.
    • Oil leaks and spills from residential fuel tanks have cost Canadian insurance companies and homeowners a lot of money in recent years. Insurance companies now balk at insuring homes with older fuel tanks, and some provinces have passed strict new regulations governing when the tanks must be replaced.
    • Home buyers have also expressed concern over home insurance policies being denied or being unable to obtain home insurance because of the age of both under and above ground oil storage tanks. A home with an exterior oil tank older than 15 years, or an interior tank older than 25 years, usually will not be insured.
    • The problem is that many oil tanks are corroding from the inside out, so the failure is not readily visible. This often occurs from condensation that builds up inside the tank. Since oil is lighter than water, the water goes to the bottom of the tank and causes corrosion. The first sign of a bad tank could be an odor of oil in the air. There might be rust or corrosion where the legs are welded to the tank. It could also be the fuel filter that begins to leak or a nozzle plugging that could be a symptom.
  • Fuel oil suppliers also inspect systems prior to delivery. The supplier inspects the entire fuel oil installation including each appliance (furnace, boiler water heater) that is using fuel oil, the venting system, tank and piping from the tank. If the tank is deemed unsafe for delivery, it will need to be replaced.
  • YES! Bangs Fuels offers a full line-up of “combination” units if you still enjoy wood splitting and stacking the piles for the long winter months.
  • See our products section for more details.