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Services: Scul-Tel 24 hour alarm protection
Commonly Asked Questions 
What is it?
By definition, Scul-Tel is an energy monitor. It can be installed to keep track of household temperature and fuel level in your tank.
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What do you mean by "monitor"?
Technology allows Scul-Tel to be an intelligent monitor in the following way:
The control unit consists of electronic circuitry that has proven to be extremely reliable. Should there be any problem, at any time, due to your household temperature dropping belo about 42-47 degrees, or low fuel inventory in the tank, an electronic signal is sent to the control unit, which then relays the message to the computer in our office. If there is no heat, a service technician is immediately alerted to come and fix the problem. If the fuel level is getting low, a delivery will be scheduled to fill the tank. top
What does Scul-Tel look like?
It's a small red box about the size of a smoke detector, powered by a long-life battery so that it will work even if the power fails.
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What's involved in the installation?
The main Scul-Tel unit is mounted in the basement out of the way. It is wired into your phone line so that it has access to call into our office. A sensor is placed in the home to monitor temperature. This is generally in a place where the occupants can't see it so there should be no aesthetic concerns. A second sensor will be placed on the tank gauge of a basement tank to monitor fuel level. This one will alert our delivery system while you still have a significant amount of oil in the tank.
top How does Scul-Tel use my telephone line?
If an alert needs to be sent, the Scul-Tel transmitter goes into action by dialing the phone number of our computer. The correct message (either "loss of heat" or "fuel reorder") is transmitted, and then we take the appropriate action. We are equipped to respond to "loss of heat" calls 24 hours a day, everyday, in cold weather. If your line is in use when the system wants to call, it will not interfere with your call. It will wait until the line is free, and will then constantly redial, if necessary, until it successfully delivers its message.
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How do I know that it is always working?
The unit calls into our system every 10 days for a "self test". This lets us know that it is functioning properly. If it ever fails to call in when due, our system in the office alerts us that is overdue so that we can check into it. It will also alert us when the battery is getting low.
top Why do I need this protection?
In very cold weather, if heat is lost for any reason (mechanical, loss of fuel, or loss of power) water pipes can freeze and burst in less than 12 hours. We see this just about every winter. The cost of repairing this type of damage is huge, and the inconvenience immeasurable. A caretaker looking after your home while you are away will usually check heat once a day, or less. Scul-Tel is always there.
Regular maintenance of your heating system should provide many years of trouble-free service with today's modern furnaces and boilers. Nevertheless, any mechanical system can fail for a variety of reasons. The Scul-Tel home monitoring system provides real peace of mind, for surprisingly minimal cost. It just makes good sense to protect the investment you have in your home.
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*Regular heating oil customers are those
on automatic delivery for heating fuels, or those "will call"
customers who are delivered at least 300 gallons per year &
Cota & Cota, Inc., or Gay's Fuel Service, Inc. is their only
fuel supplier. Regular propane customers are customers who
use Cota & Cota's or Gays' Fuel Service, Inc.'s propane gas
tanks.
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