I'm not very happy to report this, but one of my clients who bought a home with oil heat called to find out if their heater was covered by their home warranty, and I assured them it should be and they should call them immediately before they get to cold. (It was 25 here last night.)
The company headed on out to check out the oil furnace and after a half hour told my clients that it had just simply run out of oil. They told the person this was impossible as they just filled it up one month ago and turned it off when they went to work.
After some investigation they found some tire tracks and a hose scrape on the ground near the oil tank lid. It turns out someone, while they were out of town, decided that since their tank was unlocked it would be ok to empty it! This was an above ground tank, so no leaks, but the police told them that this is happening more and more and they guessed they had been back a few times and taking just a barrel at time.
The police suggested they lock it with a special lock that can't be cut, like the ones contractors use on their storage boxes. The lock isn't actually exposed, only the place for the key is and once it pops open, so does the cap.
So if you own an oil tank, please lock it up this winter as prices start to rise, or you may find yourself heating someone else's home without your knowledge.
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