Five Things to Check before You Schedule a No-Heat Service Call

Well here we are heading into another fall here in Rhode Island – is your heating system ready for the heating challenges ahead, and what will you do if it isn’t?

Don’t worry – our expert technicians are always a phone call away to handle just about any kind of furnace or boiler repair or heating system service.

But before you contact us for a service call, it’s a good idea to do a little troubleshooting on your own; it could save you some time and money, since the problem is sometimes an easy fix. If your furnace won’t start, please take these five steps before you call for service:

1. Check to see if you have enough heating oil (at least a quarter of a tank; preferably half (see illustration for types of oil tank gauges and how to read them; more on this in a future blog).
2. Make sure all power switches are in the “on” or “start” position.
3. Make sure the temperature on your thermostat is set at least five degrees above the current room temperature, and the system switch is on the HEAT or AUTO position. The fan switch should be set to ON for continuous airflow or AUTO.
4. If you have a forced (or warm) air system (a furnace with ductwork), check the air filter if airflow from your vent seems low; also make sure that vents are not blocked.
5. Reset the red burner switch (only reset this once or you may flood your system with oil).

If you take all of the above steps and your heat still doesn’t work, contact us and we will send a technician to figure out the problem – and to make it right as quickly as possible.

For fast repairs done right, trust the pros at Vaughn Oil. Contact us today for expert heating service in Rhode Island!