Help – My Heater Won’t Start!
W
aking up with no heat is something we don’t really think about until it happens – which is usually on one of the coldest days of the year, when your heating equipment is running on all cylinders trying to stave off the Maryland cold.
What do you do when your heating system won’t start? Well, the one thing you shouldn’t do is panic – after all, Carroll Home Services has you covered with 24/7 emergency no-heat service if you need it.
But before you contact us for a service call, it’s a good idea to do a little heating system troubleshooting– the problem might be something you can easily handle.
Here are four things you should check before you contact us for emergency heating service:
- Check your fuel levels – Winter got off to an early start this year, so you have probably used more heating oil or propane than you’re used to using this time of year. If your heating system won’t start, check your fuel levels first and make sure you have enough to safely run your equipment. If you have less than a quarter of a tank of propane gas or heating oil, contact us for a delivery right away. Another option? Skip all of those hassles, sign up for Automatic Delivery from Carroll, and never think about your heating oil supply again.
- Check emergency and power switches – You’ve probably seen that red light switch on your furnace before but not known what it is. An emergency switch is part of a safety system in your furnace that’s designed to shut your system down if it thinks the burner flame has gone out. Sometimes your heating system is wrong, however, and a simple flip of the emergency switch will have you back in heating business. Check all power switches associated with your heating system, too.
- Try the reset button, but only once – Somewhere on the heater itself there should be a button clearly labeled “RESET”. Turn your thermostat up to at least five degrees more than the current room temperature and press this button, but only do it once: doing it more than once could flood your heating equipment with oil. If you have oil in your tank, the emergency switch is on, and there are no issues with the heater, it should turn right back on; if it doesn’t, you will need professional heating system service.
- Check your circuit breaker – A breaker will “trip” if too much power is surging through the circuit it controls; this helps to prevent electrical fires. Most of the time a simple flip of the circuit breaker switch will restore power; do that and check your heater again. If it still doesn’t work, contact us for service.
Stay warm and safe this heating season with help from Carroll Home Services. Contact us today for expert heating system service and reliable heating oil and propane deliveries anywhere in our Maryland service area.
