Is It Ok for You To Fix Your Own Heat?

What You Can Do Before Calling For Service

Vaughn Oil’s skilled heating technicians are here for just about all of your heating system needs and repairs. However, if you’re experiencing problems with your heat you may be able to fix them all on your own.

Below is a list of common problems people face with their heating systems and ways you may be able to fix them.

Heat is not working correctly:

• Change your air filter. This is especially important if you have a forced-air system and there’s no air coming from the vents.
• Check to see if any household items or pieces of furniture are blocking any vents.
• If your system has a pilot light make sure it’s lit. Additionally, make sure all power switches are set to “on” or start”.
• Check your heating fuel levels. If you need to schedule a delivery contact us.

Cold spots and drafts:

• Add extra insulation to any drafty rooms in your house.
• Add weather stripping and caulking to windows and doors. You can also use door sweeps at any doors that lead outside.
• Clear the areas in your home that have vents so that those vents aren’t being blocked by rugs, furniture or curtains.

Heating system keeps shutting on and off:

• This is called cycling and is usually caused by a dirty air filter or a thermostat that isn’t working properly. Change your air filter and make sure your thermostat isn’t defective.

A carbon monoxide leak:

• First and foremost you should evacuate, as a carbon monoxide leak is very dangerous. To avoid carbon monoxide leaks in the future, replace your carbon monoxide detector’s batteries every six months and replace the whole detector every five years. Detectors should be on every floor of your home and outside of all your home’s bedrooms.

Dry air:

• Get a whole-house humidifier to work alongside your heating system.

Once you have gone through all the above troubleshooting steps and are still without working heat contact us so we can schedule an appointment with a heating technician. We provide Rhode Island with excellent service for heating systems and are here to help!