A decade ago, I was a wide-eyed first-time homebuyer who hadn’t a clue about furnaces. I knew I had just purchased one, a Thermo Pride to be exact, but I wasn’t sure how to operate it, maintain it, fill the oil tank, or any of that other high-level adulting that comes with homeownership. Looking back, I think calling Acme Fuel for help was one of the best decisions for my home that I’ve ever made…
I hired Acme Fuel because of their reviews. The reviews online are exceptional, but it was because of the word-of-mouth recommendations that I called them. I remember asking around at my workplace – this was before social media had taken over and people were still having in-person conversations – and everyone said, “Acme!” That was the start of Acme Fuel making things easy for me.
For nearly 100 years, Acme Fuel has been making things easy for everyone. They provide our region with propane, heating oils and motor fuels. Three generations of Allens, two Toms and now Christophe, have almost an entire century of their family and hardworking staff serving, (and pleasing) our community. From Thurston to Mason, to East Grays Harbor, South Pierce, and North Lewis counties, Acme works hard to keep our homes warm and vehicles and equipment well-fueled.
In addition to their fuel delivery services, they now have two self-service fueling stations, Fast Fuel, that are open to the public and to businesses with many different types of fuel available. The newly-remodeled station downtown provides regular gasoline, non-ethanol gas, premium diesel, off-road diesel, and Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF).
The Fast Fuel station at Lilly Road is next to be remodeled. The project is starting early October and lasting through late December 2019 so that the station can offer the same options as the downtown one. The downtown station will remain open during that time, so commercial and personal vehicles will still be able to fuel up.
I stopped into Acme Fuel’s office downtown the other day to get Acme Fuel General Manager Todd Deck’s advice on abandoning the beloved Thermo Pride, in favor of something more modern. He gave me a sleek fact sheet to look over on all things propane tank installation, (which honestly scintillated me to no end when pictured myself at long last in front of a gas range where I exclaim, ‘now we’re cooking with gas!’) But yes, I digress, and Todd was there to remind me of a very important fact: winter is coming.
Now is the time, folks. The first leaves are falling from the trees, the spiders have begun to booby-trap my yard with their webs, and it’s time to get those calls into Acme Fuel before everyone else does. It’s the busy season!
If you’re not currently a customer, setting up an account is painless. So painless I don’t even remember doing it. Todd said to give a call into the office they’ll get you squared away. There are two options: the auto-fill up program that comes with priority service, and the will-call option. The will-call option takes a little wherewithal, as you’ll have to measure the level of fuel in your tank and then remember to call, and the auto-fill takes no effort at all, as Acme Fuel adds your address to their route and gets you topped off at regular intervals.
I personally do the auto-fill. A massive perk to that option is the priority service that comes with it. In the case of inclement weather, (last winter anyone? Or is that still too raw?), auto-fill customers receive their fill-ups first. I also have a note in my account for Acme Fuel to call me the day before so I can make sure my dog is inside when they come. Since Acme Fuel is a family business, they do a great job looking out for all members of the family, dogs included, and our heating oil delivery driver also does a great job wading through my children’s toys and our wandering chickens to access our oil tank.
If it’s a generator you’re looking for or a furnace check-up, (because last winter is not only still raw, but seared hotly into your memory), Acme’s partners at Capital Heating and Cooling can install a generator, service your unit, and make sure you won’t be left out in the cold.
Acme Fuel aims to leave no one out in the cold, and Todd shared a story of last February when his delivery driver, unable to access the account due to knee-deep snow and a branch-obscured driveway, hand-carried 5-10 gallons of fuel to the tank – just enough to get the customer through until the road had cleared. How’s that for service?
Todd shared another interesting bit of trivia and reported that last February was one of the best and busiest months in Acme’s service history. Since it also the shortest month of the year, February of 2019 easily goes down in regional fables as one of the coldest around since 1925.
I’m not waiting around to see what the weather does this year. I got my fill-up two weeks ago, and my call about my dog. But you see, my dog went to Heaven four years ago, and I never let Acme know. Don’t tell them. That call serves as a reminder to me, and a hello from my dog. Without reservation, I can easily say that I’m truly grateful for the warmth and service that Acme provides – and in more ways than one.
Acme Fuel
416 State Ave. NE, Olympia
Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
360-943-1133
Sponsored
