Here’s a number that surprises most homeowners: the tank keeping your house warm right now almost certainly holds 910 litres, and there’s a good chance nobody ever asked whether that was the right size for your home. It was just the size the installer had on the truck in 1994.
When replacement time comes, usually thanks to an insurance letter, you finally get a say. Understanding residential oil tank sizes takes about ten minutes, and it can save you real money on the install, on your fills, and on the floor space in your basement. This guide covers the standard sizes sold in New Brunswick, how to figure out what you have now, and how to pick the right one when the old tank comes out.
The Standard Residential Oil Tank Sizes in New Brunswick
Walk into any oil-heated basement from Moncton to Sackville and you’ll almost always find one of four sizes.
The workhorse is the 910 litre steel tank. Old-timers call it the 200 gallon tank, because 910 litres works out to 200 imperial gallons. It’s the familiar oval tank on four legs, roughly five feet long, a bit over two feet wide, and about four feet tall with the legs. If your house was built before 2000 and still burns oil, this is very likely what you’ve got.
The next most common is the 1,000 litre double-wall tank, the size most Roth models come in. It holds slightly more than the classic steel oval but stands upright, so its footprint is actually smaller. That’s one reason it’s become the replacement favourite around Greater Moncton. We compare the two designs head to head in our Granby vs Roth guide.
Below that sits the 620 litre compact tank, popular for cottages, mini-homes, and small bungalows. And above the standard size you’ll find 1,150 litre steel tanks for larger homes that burn through oil quickly in deep winter.
One quick warning about gallon talk. Fuel companies and older installers mix imperial gallons, US gallons, and litres freely, so the same tank can be called a 200 gallon, a 240 gallon, or a 910 litre depending on who’s talking. When you’re comparing quotes, always ask for the size in litres so you’re comparing apples to apples.
Not sure what’s sitting in your basement right now? Call us at (506) 806-0900 or request a free written estimate. We’ll identify your tank, check its age, and tell you honestly whether it needs replacing at all.
How Much Heating Oil Does a Moncton Area Home Burn?
Tank size only matters in relation to how fast you empty it, so start with your burn rate.
A typical oil-heated home in Southeast New Brunswick burns somewhere between 1,800 and 2,800 litres per year, depending on the size of the house, the insulation, and how cold the winter runs. Heating oil packs a lot of energy per litre, which the U.S. Energy Information Administration explains well, but a January cold snap still eats through it fast.
In the coldest stretch of winter, an older two-storey home here can burn 25 to 40 litres a day. Run the math on a 910 litre tank and you get roughly three to four weeks of heat from a full tank in deep winter. A well-insulated bungalow might stretch that to six weeks. That’s the real job of your tank: holding enough oil that you’re never sweating a delivery date during a February storm.
There’s a delivery angle too. Most fuel companies prefer larger drops because small ones cost them the same truck time, and some offer a better per-litre price on bigger fills. A larger tank also lets you take a full delivery when prices dip. A tank that’s too small can quietly cost you money every single year through top-up fees and missed price windows.
How to Figure Out Your Current Oil Tank Size
Before you talk replacement sizes, confirm what you have. There are three easy ways.
First, check the nameplate. Every tank made in the last few decades has a metal label or sticker, usually on the end or the top, listing the capacity in litres or gallons along with the manufacture date. If you can read that plate, you’re done. While you’re down there, it’s worth learning how to tell your tank’s age too, since age is what your insurance company actually cares about.
Second, measure it. A standard 910 litre oval runs about 60 inches long and 27 inches wide. The compact 620 litre ovals are noticeably shorter, closer to 44 inches. Upright Roth-style tanks are taller than they are wide, and the 1,000 litre model stands about five feet tall on a compact base.
Third, check your delivery slips. If your biggest-ever fill was around 800 litres, you’ve got a 910 litre tank, because drivers stop short of the brim to leave expansion room. Rated capacity and usable capacity are never quite the same thing.
What you shouldn’t do is climb over the tank, lean on the fill or vent pipes, or loosen fittings to get a better look. Pipe connections and legs on older tanks can be fragile, and a snapped fitting turns a curiosity mission into a spill on your basement floor. If the tank is boxed in, buried in clutter, or leaning on its legs, stop there and have a professional look at it.
Oil Tank Size Comparison: Capacity, Footprint, and Installed Cost
Here’s how the common sizes stack up for homes in the Moncton area. Installed prices are typical ranges in CAD for a straightforward residential job, including removal of the old tank.
| Tank size | Common name | Typical footprint | Best fit | Installed cost (CAD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 620 L compact | 165 gallon | ~44” x 24” oval | Cottages, mini-homes, small bungalows | $2,800 - $3,600 |
| 910 L steel | 200 gallon | ~60” x 27” oval | Most homes, the NB standard | $2,600 - $3,400 |
| 1,000 L double-wall | Roth 1000 | ~43” x 28” upright | Replacements, tight basements, insurance-friendly | $3,400 - $4,400 |
| 1,150 L steel | 250 gallon | ~72” x 27” oval | Large or drafty homes, high burn rates | $2,900 - $3,800 |
A few notes on those numbers. Outdoor installs sometimes add a little for a proper pad and weather protection. Awkward access, like a tight stairwell or a low crawl space door, adds labour. And if the old tank has been leaking, cleanup changes the picture entirely. For the full breakdown of what pushes the price up or down, see our oil tank replacement cost guide.
Notice that the biggest price jump isn’t about size at all. It’s the move from single-wall steel to double-wall construction, which buys you a built-in secondary containment layer and, with many insurers, a much easier renewal conversation.
When a Smaller Oil Tank Makes Sense (and When It Doesn’t)
Bigger isn’t automatically better, and we talk homeowners out of oversized tanks regularly.
Marc in Shediac is a good example. He heats a three-season cottage that sees maybe 900 litres of oil a year, and his rusting 910 litre tank sat exactly where he wanted to extend his back deck. We swapped it for a 620 litre double-wall unit at $3,200 installed. He got his deck space back, and because the cottage sits close to the strait, the double-wall design stands up better to the salt air that chews through coastal steel tanks.
Downsizing also makes sense if you’ve added a heat pump and oil is now your backup heat rather than your main source. Plenty of homes around Dieppe and Riverview now burn under 1,000 litres a year. A smaller tank means fresher fuel too, since oil that sits for years picks up condensation and grows sludge in the bottom of the tank.
But going too small has real teeth. The Melansons in Memramcook learned that the hard way. A previous owner had put a compact tank on a big drafty farmhouse, and during a February cold snap it ran dry on a Sunday night. They paid a $200 after-hours delivery premium plus $165 for a service call to bleed the air out of the fuel line and restart the burner, all while the house sat at 12 degrees. When we replaced the tank that spring, they went up to a 1,150 litre model at $3,100 installed and haven’t watched the gauge nervously since.
The honest rule: size the tank to your coldest month, not your average one. If a full tank can’t carry you at least three weeks through deep winter, it’s too small for that house.
What the Code Says About Tank Size and Placement
In New Brunswick, residential oil tanks fall under the provincial petroleum storage rules and the CSA B139 installation code. The good news for homeowners is that every size in the table above sits comfortably inside the residential rules. You don’t need a special permit to go from 910 litres to 1,150.
The code cares less about capacity and more about how and where the tank is installed. It sets requirements for clearances, for stable footing so the tank can’t tip or sink, for proper venting, and for protection from vehicle impact and falling snow and ice. The Government of New Brunswick’s petroleum storage page covers the provincial side if you want the source material.
Placement can affect which size fits, too. An outdoor tank needs room for a solid pad and safe clearances, while a basement install is limited by your stairwell and door widths. This is one reason the upright 1,000 litre tanks have taken over so many replacements: they fit through openings the long steel ovals can’t. If you’re weighing locations, our indoor vs outdoor tank guide walks through the trade-offs.
This is also where DIY ends. Tank installation in NB is work for a licensed installer, and an improper install can void your insurance, your tank warranty, or both. Wrestling several hundred kilograms of tank into place and connecting fuel lines is not a weekend project, no matter how good your tools are.
Getting the Size Right When You Replace
Most people only buy one or two oil tanks in a lifetime, so here’s how the sizing decision usually plays out at the kitchen table.
Denise in Riverview got the classic insurance letter last fall: her 30-year-old steel tank had to go before renewal. Her first instinct was to replace the 910 litre oval with the same thing. But her basement stairs made the long oval a brutal fit, and her insurer hinted that double-wall construction would make renewal smoother. She went with a 1,000 litre upright at $3,600 installed. Slightly more capacity, half the footprint, and the renewal went through without a single follow-up question.
That’s the pattern we see most. The right size is usually the same as what you had, or one step up or down, but the right shape and construction have changed since your old tank went in. Think about where the new tank will live, what your insurer wants to see, how your heating habits are changing, and whether a heat pump is anywhere in your five-year plan.
Whatever size you land on, a proper crew handles replacement in about half a day, old tank hauled away and disposed of included. You can see exactly how the day unfolds on our oil tank replacement service page.
If you’re staring at an insurance deadline or an aging tank anywhere in Greater Moncton, Westmorland, Albert, or Kent counties, we’ll size it properly the first time. Call (506) 806-0900 or book your free written estimate. No pressure and no upsell, just a straight answer on what your house actually needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common residential oil tank size in New Brunswick?
The 910 litre steel tank, often called the 200 gallon tank, is the standard in most NB homes. It’s been the default residential install for decades and suits the heating load of a typical house. On replacements, the 1,000 litre upright double-wall tank is now just as common because it fits tighter spaces and insurers like it.
Can I replace my 910 litre tank with a smaller one?
Yes, and it can be a smart move if you heat a small home, use the property seasonally, or run a heat pump as your main heat. The catch is winter capacity, because a smaller tank empties faster in a cold snap and forces more frequent deliveries. We’d only recommend downsizing after looking at your actual annual oil usage.
How long will a full 910 litre tank last in winter?
In deep winter, a typical Southeast New Brunswick home burns 25 to 40 litres a day, so a full 910 litre tank carries most houses three to four weeks through the coldest stretch. A newer, well-insulated home can stretch that to six weeks or more. Milder months burn far less, so the same tank might last two months or better in spring and fall.
Does the size of my oil tank affect my home insurance?
Size itself rarely matters to insurers for standard residential tanks. What they care about is age, construction, and installation quality: how old the tank is, whether it’s single-wall or double-wall, and whether a licensed installer put it in. If your renewal letter mentions the tank, it’s almost always about age or condition, not capacity.