Written on: October 14, 2024
Some people say the kitchen is the heart of the home. But in reality, it’s your boiler. Especially in winter, if your boiler is in trouble, your whole home is in trouble. A breakdown during a deep freeze could result in frozen pipes and major repairs. And since it’s one of the biggest investments you can make in your home, you don’t want to have to replace it sooner than necessary. So taking care of that essential equipment should be a priority. Here’s how to make sure it keeps you and your family warm and safe for a long time.
The best way to extend the life of your boiler is to schedule professional maintenance for your equipment every year.
A yearly tune-up by a professional technician will include a thorough cleaning of all parts, lubrication of motors, bearings and other moving parts, testing and adjustment of controls, and more. It an opportunity for all kinds of tiny problems to get corrected before they can become major headaches and expensive breakdowns. Regular maintenance will also keep your equipment running at peak efficiency, which helps keep heating costs under control.
You may think you’re saving a little money by skipping your seasonal maintenance, but chances are a breakdown will cost you a lot more than the tune-up. What’s more, most heating equipment warranties require routine professional service as a precondition; skip your tune-up and your manufacturer’s warranty could be voided, leaving you to pay out of pocket for expenses that otherwise would have been covered.
Sometimes, the best-maintained systems will still have a problem. The good news is that often, you can handle it yourself, and avoid a service call. If your boiler is on the fritz, run through this troubleshooting checklist first:
Check your thermostat. Make sure your thermostat is set to a temperature at least 5° above room temperature and set to “heat.” Is it the batteries? Try installing fresh ones.
Check the system switch. Did the switch for your heating system accidentally get turned off? This happens more often than you’d think. Don’t overthink it, just turn it on.
Got propane? If you haven’t checked your tank gauge in a while, there’s a good chance you’ve run out of fuel—especially if it’s been very cold recently, or if you’ve been spending more time at home during the day. If you’re out, know that we’re on call 24/7 for emergency deliveries. Or, sign up for our convenient automatic delivery service and eliminate propane runouts!
Check fuses and circuit breakers. Circuit breakers can easily trip. Check the breaker that your heating system is on, and turn it on if it’s off.
Check the water level. If you have a steam boiler, check the water level gauge. It should be at least half-full. Call us if it isn’t. Have a hot water boiler? You can skip this step.
Reset the system. If none of the previous steps work, push and hold the Reset button for 30 seconds. Only do this ONCE.
If none of these steps resolve the problem, call us and we’ll dispatch a technician to get you up and running as soon as possible.
When it comes to protecting your heating equipment investment, you can count on the pros at Marandola for unsurpassed service and quality. Our technicians stay up to date on all the latest equipment, including boilers, furnaces, water heaters as well as cooling equipment, to ensure that your installation, maintenance and repair work is done correctly.
Contact us today to learn to more!