Shocking spike in fuel prices is hurting all of us. Click here.

What Do I Do If My Oil Heating System Stops Working?

Date: January 21, 2021

Troubleshooting Tips Before Requesting Service

heating repair massachusetts

With winter’s chill settled in here in greater Boston, your home’s furnace or boiler is essential to keeping your home warm and comfortable.

If your oil-fired heating system stops working, it’s a cause for worry. Your home can get uncomfortably—and unsafely—cold. You risk freezing and bursting pipes. And you may be facing a repair bill.

But have no fear—Cubby Oil is here for you! Our certified service technicians are experienced, trained, and courteous. And all Cubby Oil customers can be at-ease with 24/7 emergency no-heat service.

But just a quick reminder: If your furnace or boiler isn’t working, DO NOT email us or contact us online. Call us right away at: 617-876-1885.

It’s important to remember too that before you pick up the phone, take the time to do a little investigating. You may be able to get your furnace or boiler back up and running all by yourself—saving yourself both worry and expense!

Oil-Fired Heating System Troubleshooting

Check your thermostat. Make sure that your thermostat is set to at least 5˚ higher than your current room temperature and set to “heat.” Install new batteries to see if that’s the problem. If these steps don’t get your heating system running, move on to the next step.

Check your heating system switch. The heating system switch should be set to “ON.” If it isn’t, turn it on and see what happens. If it is, or if the system doesn’t come back on when you turn the switch to “ON,” do the next troubleshoot.

Check your oil tank. If your tank is less than ⅛ full, call Cubby Oil IMMEDIATELY for an emergency delivery of our B40 Bioheat® SuperPlus™. We provide 24/7 no-heat emergency delivery to our customers. If this is not an issue, on to the next step.

Check the circuit breaker. Circuit breakers can easily be tripped. Turn the switch for the heating system back on if it was tripped. If the breaker was not tripped, move on to the next troubleshoot.

Check the air filter. If you have a furnace, the air filter may be clogged, which can cause the heating system to shut down. Change it if needed—and be sure to set a reminder on your calendar to check it once a month. If your filter is fine, go on to the next step.

Check the boiler. If you have a steam boiler, check the water level in the gauge glass. It should be at least half-full. If it isn’t, call us. If it is, move on to the final step. If you have a hot water boiler, this does not apply, so go to the final step.

Push and hold the reset button for 30 seconds. Only do this ONCE. If you do it more than once, too much heating oil will get pumped into the combustion chamber, causing it to flood. That’s an expensive repair job on top of any other repairs you may need.

If none of these troubleshoots work, call Cubby Oil right away—we’ll get you back up and running as soon as possible. You can trust us to:

Fix it right the first time—If the same part we worked on breaks within a year, we repair it at no cost.

Respect your time—If we are delayed for a scheduled service call and don’t alert you ahead of time, we’ll give you the first hour of service free.

Keep it clean—We leave your home as clean we found it or send in a cleaning service at our cost.

Be 100% trustworthy—We will replace only the parts necessary to get your system up and running. We will never recommend a repair or purchase that we wouldn’t do for our own homes.

Need your heating system repaired? Contact Cubby Oil to get the job done right the first time!

Back to Blogs