Safely Delivering Oil or Propane to Your Home During Inclement Weather Conditions
At SOS Xtreme Comfort our primary concern is your comfort and safety, and under no circumstances do we ever want to endanger you, our team, or damage your property. On occasion, our drivers will decide to not deliver because of inclement weather, snow or ice. Our automatic delivery system provides a safety buffer of many days so that if inclement weather exists, the delivery can simply be made a few days later when conditions improve. There are, however, some conditions that do require intervention by a homeowner so that a safe delivery may be made. Here is a summary of the important things you’ll need to know to ensure safe heating oil deliveries to your home during inclement weather conditions.
IMPORTANT
If we are unable to get up your driveway with an oil truck, likely, an Ambulance or Fire Truck will not be able to get up it either! Don’t take a chance with your home or your family’s safety, regularly plow and sand your driveway!
Sanding your driveway
Whenever a request is made to have a driveway sanded, it should be done so by a professional plowing and sanding contractor. In the case of an inclined driveway that is covered with ice, it may take a yard or more of sand to adequately cover the area needed. In some cases, we have had homeowners attempt to sand driveways by themselves applying a bucket or two of sand, which will not adequately result in safe passage.
Driveway width
The heating oil delivery truck requires a driveway approximately 10 feet wide, and sharp corners plowed to at least 18 feet wide to accommodate the turning radius of the truck.
Backing up the driveway
Very often homeowners will ask us why the truck backs in, instead of driving straight in. The reason for this is that the liquid load of the truck shifts to the downhill side. If the truck were to drive up a hill straight in, the steering tires would have virtually no weight on them, and could potentially cause the vehicle to slide out of control if it encounters ice on the driveway.
Inclined driveways
An oil truck cannot park on an incline unless it is perfectly dry, and wheel chocks can be applied safely. If the inclined driveway is perfectly dry, the truck could be pulled up partially and parked, provided the inclination is less than 5°.
Improving delivery accuracy
During bad weather or with a storm encroaching, please check your tank regularly. Please notify us of any changes to your home or household that may impact oil usage, such as increased residents or additions/basement refinishing.
Clearing a path to the fill pipe
It is dangerous to have our crew members struggle through any amount of snow pulling a 150 ft hose. Even the smallest snowfall amounts can cause slippery conditions. If a clear path to the fill pipe isn’t made, you will have to reschedule your delivery.
