What Should You Do If You Lose Your Heat?

Written on: September 30, 2021

You May Be Able to Find and Fix the Problem Yourself

A lot of people in the Hudson Valley look forward to the fall season. The heat and humidity disappear, multi-colored leaves line the streets and parks and another holiday season creeps closer. Of course, this is also the time of year when you need to think about your heating system. It’s always a good idea to give it a test in early fall before you really need it.

What Happens If I Can’t Get Any Heat?

If you adjust your thermostat to call for heat and nothing happens, try these steps to see if you can get your oil furnace or oil-fired boiler to start generating heat again.

• Make sure you have fuel in your tank.
• Check to see if the power switch for the heating system is turned on.
• Look for a blown fuse or a tripped circuit breaker.
• Confirm that your thermostat is set above room temperature; check the batteries too.
• Push the reset button on your oil burner—but not more than once or you may flood the system with oil.

If you still can’t get heat, it’s time to call in a heating oil professional.

Avoiding Heating Oil Run-outs

A common reason for people losing their heat is running out of heating oil. During the periods of extreme cold that is sure to come our way, check your fuel tank level often. If it’s a very cold winter, chances are that you will burn about 20% more heating oil than normal,

Your heating oil company does not want you to run out! If you notice your oil tank level has reached the ¼ level, please contact your heating oil company so they can get a delivery to you as soon as possible.

If there’s a winter storm coming, your heating oil company will usually accelerate their delivery schedule to fit in extra deliveries ahead of time. However, they typically can only do that for automatic-delivery customers. If you don’t get automatic deliveries, please consider that option. This vastly reduces the chance of running out of oil. Read more about what your full-service heating oil company can do for you.

Clearing Your Driveway

Just because your car can get in and out of your driveway after a snowstorm doesn’t necessarily mean that fuel trucks can. Oil delivery vehicles need a 9-foot- to 10-foot-wide clear path in your driveway to allow enough room for maneuvering. Your heating oil supplier cannot make a delivery if a driveway is not clear, so please make sure that this is done. Driveways need to be salted too. You should also maintain a clear path to your oil tank and fill pipe to make it easier for your delivery driver.

Please contact your heating oil company if you have any concerns about staying safe and warm as another Hudson Valley winter heads our way.