Not All Preventive Maintenance Is Created Equal…

We often talk on this blog about how important routine annual maintenance is to protecting your home heating system investment.

But not all routine maintenance is created equal.

When it comes to heating system service, we go a little further than most heating oil companies – especially when it comes to helping you understand what we did and why. We do this by providing you with a plain-language Vaughn Oil Annual Equipment Service Report Card.

In addition to telling you what we did to maintain your equipment, our Report Card also describes the results of six important performance tests, including:

1. Exhaust draft – This measures the strength of airflow as it pushes heating emissions away from your home. Values within acceptable limits mean that emissions are being removed safely; it also means the air you pay to heat is staying in your living space.
2. CO2 percentage – Within normal ranges, CO2 is a safe and necessary by-product of an operating heating system; outside the normal range, it can indicate an incorrect mix of oxygen and hydrogen during the combustion process, which translates to underperformance for your system.
3. Exhaust temperature – This measures the temperature of the air leaving your home. If the reading is high, it could mean you’re losing too much heat to your chimney.
4. Smoke – This measures how much carbon (soot) is contained in the air flowing from your heating system’s exhaust. Higher numbers indicate incomplete combustion, which requires additional service. Early soot detection can help prevent more costly repairs later.
5. Carbon monoxide (CO) – This measures the amount of CO produced by your heating system. A properly operating heating system is very safe, but a malfunctioning or poorly maintained heating system can lead to a build up of CO – a dangerous and potentially deadly gas.
6. Combustion efficiency – This measures how much heat you’re getting for your fuel dollar; the higher the number, the more value you’re getting from your system and fuel purchases.

We don’t know of any heating oil company – in or out of Rhode Island – that goes as far as we do to explain what we did and why we did it. We think you deserve to know!

Did you know that four out of five of the most common heating system repairs come as a result of neglecting routine maintenance? Don’t skip your annual equipment service – beat the late summer rush and schedule heating maintenance for your Rhode Island home today.