Beware of These Late-Season Heater Troubles

Have you had your yearly tune-up?

heating service massachusetts This has already been a tough winter, and it isn’t over yet. If you haven’t gotten a yearly tune-up for your heating system, don’t wait another week. Just because spring is on the horizon, doesn’t mean you can ignore your heating system. Winter has plenty of punch left (not to mention early spring), and you don’t want to be left in the cold if the temperatures take a dip and your heater isn’t up to the task.

How do you know if there’s something wrong with your furnace or boiler? There are some warning signs you should keep an eye out for.

Signs your heater needs professional help

If you notice any of the following problems with your boiler or furnace, contact W.H. Riley & Sons for service:

There isn’t any heated air coming through your vents.
If you have a pilot light, the flame is yellow in color.
Even though you’re using the same amount of fuel, your fuel bills have increased (and not due to a rise in prices).
There are grinding or banging sounds when your heat is running.
Your baseboards are not getting warm.
Your system isn’t turning on or isn’t staying on.
Your system never turns off.

If you’ve noticed any of the above, don’t wait to call for service. You don’t want to risk having a no-heat emergency on a cold New England day (or night).

If everything is working well, but it’s been over a year since your last tune-up, then it’s time to schedule one. Tune-ups are a great way to get ahead of problems before they become more serious and expensive to fix.

Don’t skip your yearly tune-up

There are many benefits to annual tune-ups for your furnace or boiler. Here are five reasons you should make it a yearly priority.

You’ll have lower bills. Your boiler can lose as much as five percent of its efficiency every year it doesn’t receive maintenance. Lost efficiency means a larger percentage of the fuel you’re paying for isn’t actually heating your house. It’s being lost unnecessarily.
You’ll have improved reliability. You want to be sure your equipment can handle the rigors of a New England winter. The best way to do that is to have it professionally serviced once a year.
Potential problems will get detected early. In our experience, roughly 80% of heating system repairs could have been prevented with regular maintenance. Discovering problems early means addressing them before they get more serious and expensive to fix.
You’ll protect your warranty. It’s common for warranties to require annual maintenance from a qualified professional. You don’t want to risk having to pay out of pocket for a heating repair when your system should be under warranty simply because you didn’t have it serviced.
Safety. As part of the maintenance visit, our heating experts will look for early warning signs of a carbon monoxide problem and address it before it puts your household at risk.

At W.H. Riley & Son we provide our southeastern Massachusetts customers with competitive prices, exceptional customer service, and an exemplary safety record. Click here to see if your southeastern Massachusetts neighborhood is in our service area.

Contact us today to learn more or schedule a tune-up. With W.H. Riley & Son on the job, you get service you can count on!