5 Signs It’s Time to Service Your Home Heating System

Heating systems rarely fail without warning. In most cases there were clues for weeks: a new sound, a fuel bill that seemed high, a room that never quite warmed up. If you notice any of these, call for service before the problem gets worse.

1. It’s making noises it didn’t used to

Every system has its normal hum and click. Pay attention to anything new. A loud bang or rumble when the burner lights can mean delayed ignition, which a technician should look at soon. Squealing usually points to the blower motor or a belt. Kettling, a rumbling or boiling sound in a boiler, often means scale or sediment buildup.

2. You’re going through oil faster

If your tank is dropping faster than it did last winter in similar weather, your system is probably wasting fuel. The usual causes are a dirty burner, a worn nozzle or soot on the heat exchanger. A cleaning and tune-up often fixes it. If you’re on automatic delivery, more frequent deliveries are a sign of this too.

3. Some rooms are cold

A room that’s always chilly while the rest of the house is fine can be a heating problem or an insulation problem. In forced hot air homes, look for blocked registers, a dirty filter or a blower that’s struggling. In homes with hot water baseboard, air trapped in the lines or a failing circulator pump are common causes.

4. It turns on and off constantly, or runs nonstop

Short cycling means the burner starts, runs a minute or two, shuts off and starts again. It’s hard on the equipment and wastes fuel. The opposite, running much longer than usual to hold the same temperature, means the system isn’t getting heat into the house the way it should. Both are worth a service call.

5. It’s getting old

Oil boilers and furnaces often last 20 years or more with good care, but efficiency slips with age. If yours is past 15 years and showing any of the signs above, ask your technician whether repairs still make sense or whether it’s time to look at a replacement.

Don’t ignore these

Smell oil or exhaust fumes, see soot around the burner, or have a carbon monoxide alarm go off? Turn the system off and call right away. If the CO alarm sounds, leave the house first.

Get it checked

Advanced Heating Oil services oil boilers and furnaces throughout southeastern Connecticut. If you’ve noticed any of these signs, or it’s simply been more than a year since your last tune-up, contact us or call (860) 859-9080.