Frequently Asked Questions

There are two ways to heat your home, hot air or hot water. If your home has ducts located in your floor or ceiling, chances are you have a hot air system. Your furnace produces hot air that is pushed through a series of ducts in your home. The other type of system uses hot water which is produced by a boiler. The water is circulated through pipes in your home and gets distributed into your rooms with baseboard heaters. Additionally, some boilers make steam which is distributed into steam radiators.

Before you call, try the following steps. Place your thermostat temperature up 10 degrees higher than your current room temperature. Go to your emergency shut off switch(s) and turn it off and then on again. Go to your Electrical breaker panel and make sure the breaker is not tripped. Check your oil to make sure you have at least 1/8 of a tank of oil in your tank. Finally, press and hold the reset button on your burner ONCE for 3 seconds. If you can not get your system functioning, please call us immediately. During the winter months your pipes could possibly freeze and create a much bigger problem than a cold house.

A heat exchanger is the main component of your hot air furnace. It is where the heat is absorbed by air and blown into your home’s duct system. If the heat exchanger has a crack or hole, combustion fumes (including carbon monoxide) can leak out into your home. If you smell fumes in your house, chances are you have a cracked heat exchanger that must be replaced immediately.

To conserve fuel, keep your thermostat at the lowest setting with which you are comfortable. Although each person is different, temperatures between 65-72 degrees are the most common. Of course, a lower thermostat setting will help you save on your annual fuel consumption, but you need to feel comfortable. When you are away on a winter get a way, you can put your thermostat at 58 – 60 degrees, but make sure you have someone checking on your home on a daily basis so your home does not freeze up. We highly recommend getting a sensor put on your alarm system that alerts you when the temperature in your home drops below 55 degrees.