Ran out of heating oil?
It happens to a lot of people, especially in a cold snap. Here's what to do right now, and how to get your heat back.
Right now
- Turn the burner's emergency switch OFF (usually a red-plate switch at the top of the basement stairs or near the boiler) so it stops trying to fire on an empty tank.
- Don't keep pressing the reset button. Repeated resets can flood the burner with oil and turn a simple restart into a bigger repair.
- Order oil. Call 631-264-8800 — phone calls get priority when it's busy — or order online and choose the earliest date. We can't promise same-day. Urgent or same-day deliveries may carry an extra fee; we'll tell you before we deliver.
- Keep the house safe. Close doors to unused rooms. In freezing weather, open cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls and let a faucet drip. Never use a gas stove or oven to heat the house, and only use space heaters exactly as the label says.
After the oil arrives
- Turn the emergency switch back ON and set the thermostat up.
- If the burner's reset button is tripped, press it once.
- If it doesn't fire and stay running, air is probably in the line. Call us for a service call to bleed (prime) the line and restart it.
Running a tank dry can also pull sludge from the bottom into the oil filter and nozzle. If your burner keeps quitting after a runout, it likely needs a filter and nozzle change — book an oil burner service call.
Need help paying?
Emergency HEAP opens January 4, 2027 for households that are out of fuel or about to run out. Regular HEAP opens November 2, 2026. We accept HEAP — see HEAP 2026–27 and our step-by-step guide for Suffolk and Nassau.
Never run out again
Automatic delivery customers don't watch the gauge — we track the weather and your usage and come before you run low, and they're served first in cold snaps. Prefer to order yourself? Learn how to read your tank gauge and order at 1/4, or use our heating oil calculator.
Questions
I ran out of heating oil. What do I do first?
Call 631-264-8800 or order online. Turn the burner emergency switch OFF so it does not keep trying to start, and do not keep pressing the reset button. After the delivery, the burner may need to be bled and restarted.
Can you deliver heating oil today?
We can't promise same-day, but call us and we will do what we can. Urgent or same-day deliveries may carry an extra fee; we'll tell you before we deliver.
Will my burner start by itself after a delivery?
Sometimes, but often air gets into the oil line when the tank runs dry and the burner has to be bled (primed) and reset by a technician. If it does not start after one reset, call us for service.
How do I make sure it never happens again?
Sign up for automatic delivery. We watch the weather and your usage and deliver before you run low.
We deliver heating oil in Amityville, Copiague, Lindenhurst, Massapequa, West Babylon and more South Shore towns.