Troubleshooting Your Furnace in Fall

Date: October 2, 2023

You can get ahead of any heating system issues before winter arrives.

Consider this: would you drive your car for an entire year without checking the oil levels and tire pressure or arranging yearly maintenance? Of course, you wouldn’t! Even in the best circumstances, your vehicle would probably have worse gas mileage and poorer handling. In the worst cases, you’d end up stranded on the side of the road.

The same is true of your home’s furnace. Like your car, it has many mechanical parts that can wear down, become misaligned or break. Also, like a car, a furnace can become less fuel-efficient and break down more often if left unattended.

With winter around the corner in the greater Boston area, it’s a good time to give your oil-fired furnace a test and troubleshoot any issues.

Is your furnace not coming on?

One of the benefits of fall furnace testing is that you’ll discover any issues long before the first cold snap of winter. If your heat won’t come on, take the following steps:

1. Confirm your thermostat is set to “heat” and its temperature is five degrees higher than the current room temperature.
2. Make sure your system’s power switch is set to ON.
3. Check your oil tank and ensure it’s not empty. If it is, contact Cubby Oil for a heating oil delivery.
4. Look at your breaker box and make sure the furnace’s breaker hasn’t tripped.
5. Have you checked your system’s air filter recently? If it’s dirty or clogged, this can obstruct heat from your furnace. Check the filter and clean or replace it, if necessary.
6. You can try pushing the reset button on your furnace and holding it for three seconds. Do not do this more than once.

If none of these steps work, you should contact the Cubby team to look at your system.

Is there a burning smell from your vents or furnace?

If you smell something burning when you turn on your furnace this fall, don’t panic. It’s likely just dust that’s accumulated in your burners over the summer. Like anything else that sits idle for months, a heating system will gather dust, and it can burn when your equipment’s flames click back on. Typically, this dust will burn off, and the odor will go away after 10 minutes or so.

Have you checked your carbon monoxide detectors?

It’s crucial that you have carbon monoxide detectors on every level of your home and outside each bedroom. You should test them monthly and replace the batteries every six months. If you neglected them in the summer, then take a moment to check them and change their batteries this fall.

Cubby Oil & Energy services furnaces.

A regular furnace tune-up will ensure that your heating system works at maximum efficiency through the winter and for years to come. This maintenance can lower your fuel consumption, extend your furnace’s lifespan and reduce the likelihood of a system breakdown. In the fall, Cubby Oil & Energy has more availability to perform routine maintenance, and we’d be thrilled to service your equipment.

Contact the Cubby team today to arrange heating service.