Prime and Start Prices on Long Island
You pay the lower price by asking for the restart when you order the oil.
- $95 when the delivery driver primes and starts the burner at the time of the fill. Ask for it when you order, and the driver does it before leaving.
- $189 when a technician comes out on a separate visit, whether the oil came from Domino or another supplier. That is the standard service call, and any part that is needed is priced before it goes in.
Calls outside regular hours carry an additional charge that the dispatcher quotes on the phone before anyone is sent. There is no contract, and COD customers pay the same as everyone else. Every price is on the pricing page.
Reasons the Burner Will Not Start After a Fill
The tank is full again, so why is the house still cold? Because the fuel pump moves oil, not air. When the tank ran dry, the line from the tank to the burner filled with air, and the pump cannot build pressure on it. The burner tries to fire, the cad cell sees no flame, and the primary control locks out.
Pressing reset a few times does not help; each press pumps more air and a little oil into the chamber.
The fix is to open the bleed port on the pump and run it until oil comes out clear and steady, then close the port, reset the control and watch the flame. That is the whole prime and start, and the bleeding guide walks through it for homeowners who want to try it themselves.
The Prime and Start Visit, Step by Step
- The driver or technician confirms oil in the tank and opens the tank valve if it was closed.
- The oil line is bled at the fuel pump until the oil runs clear with no air bubbles.
- The oil filter and pump strainer are checked, because a dry tank pulls sludge from the bottom into both. A clogged filter or strainer is replaced on the spot, priced first.
- The burner is reset, fired and watched through a full cycle. The flame is checked and the pump pressure is read.
- If the burner still will not light, the technician moves to the nozzle, electrodes and controls, which is ordinary parts repair and rides on the truck.
Sludge, Filters and the Damage a Dry Tank Does
The bottom of an oil tank holds water and sludge that settle out over years. A tank that runs dry sends that mess into the line, and it ends up in the filter, the strainer and the nozzle. Sometimes it clears with a new filter.
Sometimes the burner runs for a week and locks out again as the nozzle clogs. A pump that ran dry for long can also lose its seal and start to leak.
That is why the prime and start includes a look at the filter and strainer rather than just a bleed, and why a tank that has run dry more than once is worth a conversation about tank replacement or at least a tank cleaning.
Gelled Oil That Looks Like an Empty Tank
On a Long Island night below freezing, an outdoor tank or an exposed fuel line can gel until the pump pulls nothing, and the burner behaves exactly as if the tank were empty. If the gauge shows a quarter or more and the tank or line is outside, the oil has probably gelled rather than run out. The technician clears the line and restarts the burner either way, and the heating oil gelling guide explains how to prevent it.
Ordering Oil and the Restart Together
Our sister company Domino Fuel delivers heating oil on a COD basis with no contract, including same-day and Sunday delivery, as the heating oil delivery page explains. When you order because the tank is empty, say so and ask for the prime and start. The driver fills the tank, bleeds the line and restarts the burner on the same stop, for $95 instead of a separate $189 technician visit.
If the oil came from another company and the burner will not start, call for a technician. The price is the same $189 whoever delivered the oil.
Avoiding the Next Empty Tank
Order at a quarter tank rather than at empty, which keeps the sludge on the bottom where it belongs and gives the delivery a day or two of slack. Tap the gauge when you read it and watch whether the float drops, because a stuck gauge is the usual reason a careful homeowner still runs out. Ask about automatic delivery when you order, and keep the burner on a yearly tune-up so the filter and strainer start each winter clean.
Call for a Prime and Start Today
Call (631) 867-2231 any time. If you need oil as well, say so and the driver handles the restart with the delivery. If the tank is already full, a NORA-certified technician comes out the same day in most cases, anywhere in Suffolk County, Nassau County or Queens.