Hardy folks in Wisconsin are no strangers to dealing with brutally cold winters. Of course, when temperatures take a deep drop into the single digits, the number of no-heat situations soars because your heating system is working overtime to keep your home warm. That’s the bad news. The good news is, if you lose your heat, you may be able to solve the problem by yourself.
What should I do if I lose my heat?
Before calling for service, try these steps to see if you can get your furnace or boiler to start making 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 an oilheat professional.
Avoiding fuel run-outs
A common reason for losing your heat is running out of heating oil. During periods of extreme cold, check your fuel tank level often, even if you are enrolled in an automatic delivery program.
Your oilheat dealer does not want you to run out! If you notice your oil tank level has reached 1/8, please contact your oilheat company immediately and they will get a delivery truck to your home as soon as possible.
Clearing your driveway
Just because your car can get in and out of your driveway after a snow storm 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 provider cannot make a delivery if a driveway is not clear, so please make sure that this is done. Driveways should be salted too. You should also maintain a clear path to your oil tank and fill pipe.
Please contact your oilheat company if you have any concerns about staying safe and warm as we all buckle up for another Wisconsin winter.