If you wake up one morning to a cold house and a malfunctioning boiler, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re facing major repairs and a busted budget. Before you call for expert help, follow some simple boiler troubleshooting tips to see if you can identify and correct the problem yourself.
If you’re not confident that you can perform any of these steps safely and correctly, or if you can’t identify the problem with your boiler, call your trusted HVAC technician for help.
Be Sure the Boiler has Power
- Check the thermostat. Ensure it’s set to “heat” mode at a temperature high enough to make the boiler come on. If that doesn’t work, try changing the batteries in the thermostat. Dead thermostat batteries are the cause of many unnecessary boiler service calls.
- Be sure the power switch near the boiler is turned on. Check circuit breakers or the fuse box for a blown circuit. If you reset a circuit and it blows immediately, you probably have a burned out motor or another electrical problem that will need professional attention.
Check the Fuel Supply
- Look at the fuel valve feeding the boiler and make sure it’s open. Be sure you’ve paid the natural gas bill and that there’s not a service interruption in your area. If you heat with fuel oil, check the level of oil in the tank, and call for a fill-up if the tank is running low.
- If the boiler has a standing pilot light, open the cover and check to see if it’s burning. If it’s gone out, try to safely relight it following the printed instructions near the control valve. A pilot light that won’t stay lit may indicate that the thermocouple needs to be replaced or that the pilot and fuel burners need to be cleaned and tuned up.
If you can’t quickly identify the boiler problem and fix it yourself, call us at Berkeley Heating & Air Conditioning for boiler troubleshooting in your Charleston area home. Our technicians are standing by to provide you with fast, courteous, professional service.
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