Help! I’ve Lost My Heat!

Troubleshooting Tips for Your Boiler or Furnace

The leaves are changing in northern New Jersey, and crisp fall nights are a reminder that colder temperatures will be here soon. You may be thinking about turning on your heating system, if you haven’t already. Of course, the best way to make sure your boiler or furnace is ready for the winter season is to schedule your seasonal tune-up. If your heat does go out unexpectedly, there could be a simple solution: Your power switch may have accidentally been turned off or you may have tripped a circuit breaker or blown a fuse. These easy troubleshooting steps may help you avoid a service call.

Work through these steps in order until the problem is resolved:

1. Check Your Thermostat Make sure your thermostat is set to a temperature at least 5° above room temperature and set to “heat.” Is it the batteries? Try installing fresh ones. 
2. Check Your Heating System Switch Did the switch accidentally get turned off? Turn it on.
3. Check Your Fuel Supply If you are on will-call for heating deliveries, and you haven’t checked your heating oil tank gauge in a while, you may have run out of fuel. Avoid costly, unnecessary fuel runouts with our automatic delivery service. We track your fuel usage and get a delivery to you before you run low.
4. Check fuses and Circuit Breakers Circuit breakers can easily trip. If the heating system switch was turned off, turn it back on.
5. Check the Air Filter If the air filter on your furnace is clogged, the system will shut down. Replace it and keep a note on your calendar to check it once a month.
6. Check the Boiler If you have a steam boiler, check the water level gauge. It should at least be half-full. Call us if it isn’t. If you have a hot water boiler, skip this step.
7. Reset the System If none of the preceding steps work, push and hold the Reset button for 30 seconds. Only do this ONCE. Doing it more than once floods the combustion chamber with too much heating oil. That’s an expensive repair job on top of any other repairs you may need.

If none of those steps resolves the problem, call us and we’ll dispatch a technician to get you up and running as soon as possible. Remember, our affordable service plans include annual maintenance and can also help you save money on repairs.

We’re here for you, and we’re always happy to help. Enjoy the benefits of having a local provider for your heating, cooling and home comfort needs. Become a JW Pierson customer today!