Ran out of heating oil? How to restart your oil burner.

1. Make sure you are really out

Look at the gauge on top of your tank. If it reads E and the burner will not fire, you are most likely out of oil. If the gauge shows oil, the problem may be a tripped reset button, a clogged filter or the thermostat, and a service technician is the right call.

2. Don't keep pressing the reset button

The red reset button on the burner is tempting. Press it once at most. Pressing it again and again with an empty tank can flood the combustion chamber with oil, which is a real safety hazard and an expensive repair. Turn the thermostat down and leave the burner alone until fuel is back in the tank.

3. Keep the house warm while you wait

Close interior doors to hold heat in the rooms you use. On very cold nights, open the cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls so pipes stay warmer. Use a safe space heater in one room rather than trying to heat the whole house.

4. Call for oil — don't just order silently

Call us at (914) 483-6860 and say you are out. You can also order online and note the tank is empty; we call back within a few hours to confirm your delivery date and payment. Orders start at 100 gallons.

5. Why the burner won't start on its own

When a tank runs dry, air gets pulled into the fuel line. Even after fresh oil is delivered, the burner pump can't push oil through an air-filled line, so the burner tries, fails and locks out. The line has to be primed (bled of air) before the burner will run normally again.

6. Getting the burner restarted

Add burner priming to your order for a flat $25. After the oil goes in, our driver bleeds the air from the line and gets the burner firing again, so you aren't waiting on a separate service call. Just check the burner priming box when you order, or mention it on the phone.

Bleeding a burner involves fuel under pressure and a hot appliance. We don't recommend homeowners do it themselves. If you smell fuel, see smoke or notice anything unusual, leave the house and call 911.

7. Keep it from happening again

Check your gauge every couple of weeks in winter and order when it sits between ½ and ¼. Or let us handle it with automatic delivery, or sign up for price-drop alerts so you know when it's a good day to fill.