Boiler or Furnace Troubleshooting Tips

Be well-prepared for the coming cold weather!

heating repair pennsylvania

Fall is finally here—and you can tell by the quickly falling temperatures here in the Delmarva region.

Soon—if you haven’t yet already—we will be turning on our home’s heating systems. Is your furnace or boiler ready for the job of keeping your home warm and comfortable in the season ahead? If not—or you’re unsure—you can make sure that it is by scheduling an annual maintenance tune-up NOW! Additionally, our affordable service plans not only include a yearly tune-up, but can help you save money on repair costs.

We’re here for you if something does go wrong with your home’s boiler or furnace this heating season with 24/7 no-heat emergency service for our automatic delivery customers. But before you pick up the phone, these troubleshoots may help you solve the problem yourself—and save you the cost of a service call!

Check Your Thermostat

Make sure your thermostat is set to a temperature at least 5° above the current room temperature and set to “heat.” To determine whether it’s the batteries that are the problem, install fresh ones.

If these measures do not work, go to the next step.

Check Your Heating System Switch

The heating system switch should be in the “ON” position. If it isn’t, turn it on and see what happens. Do the next troubleshoot if the system doesn’t return to normal when you flip the switch to “ON.”

Check Your Fuel Supply

If you haven’t checked your propane or heating oil tank gauge in a while, you may have run out of fuel. Make sure to avoid costly, unnecessary fuel runouts with our automatic delivery for heating oil and propane! We’ll track your fuel usage and get a delivery to you before you run low.

Check the Circuit Breaker

Circuit breakers can easily trip. If the heating system switch was turned off, turn it back on. If the breaker did not trip, proceed to the next step.

Check the Air Filter

If your furnace is malfunctioning, the air filter may be clogged, which can cause the system to shut down entirely. Replace it if necessary and keep a note on your calendar to check it once a month. If your filter is in good shape, move on to the next troubleshoot.

Check the Boiler

Check the water level in the gauge glass if you have a steam boiler. It should at least be half-full. Call us if it isn’t. If it is, go to the last troubleshoot. This does not apply to a hot water boiler; therefore, proceed to the last step.

Push and Hold the Reset Button for 30 Seconds

Only do this ONCE. Doing it more than once causes too much heating oil to be pumped into the combustion chamber, causing it to flood. That’s an expensive repair job on top of any other repairs you may need.

When you need boiler or furnace service, you can count on the experts at Poore’s Propane to get the job done right the first time! Contact us for all your home heating system needs.