What should I do if my heating system doesn't work?

Submitted by admin on

Before you call or e-mail us, go through the troubleshooting steps below to make sure a service call is really needed. It will save you the cost and inconvenience of an unnecessary service visit, and will ensure our technicians are working where they are most needed.

  • Make sure the thermostat is set above room temperature or in the “heat” position. If it’s a digital thermostat and the display screen is blank, you either need new batteries or the power supply has been interrupted.
  • Check for a tripped circuit breaker or a blown fuse.
  • Look to see if the power switch for your heating system is turned on. Sometimes, these get turned off accidentally.
  • Check your tank to see if you have heating fuel.
  • If you have an oil heating system, press the reset button on the burner relay—ONCE ONLY. If your system doesn’t start after you push the reset button the first time, do not push it again. Pushing this button more than once can cause your heating system to “flood.” Too much oil will get pumped into the combustion chamber, resulting in a lengthy and costly repair.

If at this point you still don’t get heat, call Princeton Air immediately.

When a service technician arrives, let him know everything you did to the system before he begins working on it. You should also let him know if anything out of the ordinary happened, like an unusual noise, a strange smell or smoke.

In many cases, this will help the technician find the problem—and get your heat back on again—faster.