How to Get Rid of a Heating Oil Smell

Heating oil is a safe, effective fuel to heat your home with but just like gas at the gas station has a distinct smell to it, heating oil — also commonly known as No. 2 oil — has its own distinct scent as well. Heating oil is typically well-contained, so it is possible that you might never even notice a smell at all. Once in a while though, it is not uncommon to catch a faint scent of oil after your tank has just been refilled.

If the scent is not faint and instead, you are are noticing a strong heating oil odor emitting from your tank or basement, it might be due to a small or larger sized spill.

In this article, we are going to talk about what it means if you are smelling oil in your home. We will walk you through how best to clean up an oil spill if it happens, how best to remove any smell, and when to know if you should reach out for professional help.

Is It Normal to Smell Heating Oil?

Generally speaking, it is totally normal to notice a faint smell of heating oil particularly after a recent delivery. Just like its normal to smell gas when you are at the gas station filling up your car, it is really not uncommon to smell heating oil when your tank has just been refilled by your service provider.

What is not normal is smelling heating oil in and throughout the rest of your home or business. If you feel there is a pungent scent of oil coming from your basement or other parts of the home, that might be an indication of something else going on. Here are some of the most common reasons for smelling heating oil:

1.   You are turning your furnace or oil burner on for the first time in the season.

It is common for your furnace to throw off a scent of heating oil the first time it has been kicked back into gear for the season. If this is the cause of the smell you are noticing, it should fade pretty quickly. If you continue to smell oil after a few days, there might be another issue causing the smell.

2.   You recently had a tank re-fill.

Smelling heating oil is also really common after your tank has been refilled. The smell shouldn’t be particularly strong or pungent. Noticeable, yes, but not overwhelming. If the smell doesn’t dissipate after a few days, it is possible that either some oil could have spilled during the delivery filling process or something else is going on.

3.   You are due to change your furnace filter.

In some cases, your furnace may be giving off a heating oil scent because your filter is clogged. A quick fix for this is to simply change the filter.

4.   Your furnace isn’t operating properly.

If your furnace isn’t operating properly, there could be oil that is not combusting the way it is supposed to. The left over oil may be what is causing the smell. Cracks in the oil burner could also be causing the smell to escape. If this is the case, an HVAC technician will need to come on-site to diagnose the problem.

5.   Your tank is leaking.

This would be considered more severe of an issue but if your tank is leaking, it could definitely be the culprit of the smell. Inspect your tank by looking for any oil stains on or dripping down around it. It is possible that you have a loose fitting on the tank or that the tank is cracked. A technician can usually fix a loose fitting but if your tank is leaking, it might need to be replaced right away.

6.   Oil was spilled.

If oil was spilled during a delivery, this can definitely cause a heating oil odor to linger for a while. Keep reading below to learn how best to manage the odor and more importantly, what to do to safely and properly clean up the spill.

Is an Oil Smell Dangerous?

One of the benefits of using heating oil to heat your home is the fact that exposure to fumes isn’t anywhere near as dangerous as exposure to gas. Heating oil is far less toxic. You also do not have to worry about an explosion occurring thanks to heating oil’s lower flammability than gas.

Even in an enclosed space, you probably won’t experience any health hazards from exposure to low concentrations of oil fumes. This is usually the primary concern for homeowners who are experiencing a heating oil smell indoors, like in their basement where their tank may be located.

With that said, inhaling strong oil fumes can certainly cause dizziness, nausea, headaches, eye, nose, or ear irritation, and even difficulty concentrating.

While these are all temporary issues caused by short-term exposure to heating oil fumes that most likely won’t affect you long-term, don’t ignore persistent heating oil fumes. Lingering smells is usually an alert that something needs to be checked or looked at.

Is There a Leak in My Oil Tank?

If you have a leak in your oil tank, you will almost certainly smell heating oil because of it. If you think your tank may be leaking, you should have an HVAC technician come out right away to take a look. Some signs of a leaking oil tank are:

• Dripping or pooled oil near the tank
• Dead plants and/or dead grass near the tank
• Stained spots on your property

If you believe there is a leak in your oil tank, you’ll want to act immediately to clean up the spilled or leaked oil.

How Do You Clean up a Heating Oil Spill?

Heating oil spills can be classified as small or large. Handling the clean up of heating oil will differ depending upon how much was spilled. Regardless of spill amount, the first thing to do is to respond right away. The sooner you respond with cleanup efforts, the more successful you will be.

Turn off flame or spark sources. This is to prevent any sort of fire. Keep all sources of ignition away from the area until the spill is fully cleaned up.

Ventilate by opening windows or turning on vans. Especially if your tank is located in the basement, it’s a good idea to begin ventilating any fumes from the room.

Cleaning Up Small Oil Spills

Small spills are typically classified as anything less than a gallon in quantity. These can often be cleaned by the homeowner, but your heating oil provider will likely also take these steps if they are still on-site to help.

1. First put on rubber gloves and change into shoes and clothes that can be washed or thrown away in the event of stains or lingering smells. Do your best to not get oil on your skin.
2. Next, spread absorbent material over the spill. Cat litter is actually a great household item to use for this. You can pick some up pretty easily at a local convenience store.
3. Shovel the oil-soaked absorbent material into heavy-duty plastic bags. Close the bags tightly and keep them outside, safely stowed, until they can be picked up for disposal.
4. Use soap and warm water to clean the floor, walls, or any other hard nearby surfaces. Dawn soap works great for this.

Cleaning Up Large Oil Spills

If you believe more than a gallon of heating oil has been spilled or leaked:

1. Report the spill to the heating oil company involved. They will most likely get involved to help remedy the situation.
2. Reach out to the local fire department. Ask them to help you assess if there is any sort of explosion hazard. (Your heating oil company may take care of contacting the fire department for you).
3. Call a professional clean up service. Your local fire department and/or heating oil provider may be able to provide a trusted third-party provider for this.

How Do You Get Rid of the Heating Oil Smell?

Even after cleaning up the oil itself, it is still possible that you may continue to smell the oil’s odor from the spill. Be sure to ventilate the area as best you can to help air out the smell. It is also a good idea to close the room off to any other areas of your house so that the odor stays as contained as possible.

Following those measures, there are some really effective household items that will work very well to help remove the smell of heating oil:

• Powdered laundry detergent and/or baking soda – cover the spill or the leak with powdered laundry detergent and/or a mixture of baking soda. As it sits on the effected area, the powder will help reduce the smell and it will also help prevent any additional oil from spreading.
• Upholstery & Carpet shampoo – you can also clean any carpet or nearby upholstery with standard household carpet cleaner.

What If the Heating Oil Smell Doesn’t Go Away?

If you have taken all the steps described above to clean up a spill and reduce any smell, but you’re still finding that a scent is lingering for more than a few days, you should contact an HVAC professional to diagnose the situation. It is possible that there is a leak or another issue than initially expected.

Heating Oil Delivery from Star Home Heat

Your first step towards avoiding heating oil spills is to hire a trusted heating oil delivery provider. Those who have been trained will take all preventative measures to ensure you avoid this problem entirely.

If you are looking for a home heating oil provider, Star Home Heat is your source. You can conveniently search prices in your area, select a delivery date that works best for you, and trust that you are going to get top quality care and service. To search for today’s heating oil prices, start here.