As summer begins to wind down and fall begins to appear on the horizon, there’s a lot to do to get our homes in shape for the winter. There might be outdoor chores to complete, storm windows to put in, patios to pack up and more. One of the tasks you certainly won’t want to neglect, however, is the maintenance of your oil furnace or tank.

When it comes to heating your home or business, few factors are more important in the long run than which type of tank you choose to use. There are tanks that rest above the ground or those that are buried below it, as well as tanks left outdoors and those kept indoors.

Questions about when to replace oil tank units are common among homeowners. Some of the most frequently asked questions are along the following lines:

Being a homeowner means you always have to have one foot in the future. You're anticipating potential problems, needs, repairs and maintenance. With so much to think about, it can be easy to forget the less obvious systems in your home that need tending to. One of these systems is your oil heating system.

The cost of cleaning up a leak from an underground oil tank ranges from thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on how much contamination has occurred — and the worst part is, there’s a good chance your homeowner’s insurance won’t cover any of the costs.