Your Oil-Fired Boiler Winter Checklist

The coldest weeks of the year are on their way to Central Massachusetts, which means your boiler and radiators or baseboards are about to be pushed to their limits to stave off another New England winter.

Is your heating system ready for another winter rumble? Here are seven things to do in advance of the arrival of frigid winter temps in MA.

7 Boiler Care Winter To-Dos

1. Check your fuses, circuit breakers, and power switches – Your furnace needs electricity to run many of its safety systems – without it, your heating system won’t run.
2. Do your reading – Re-read the manufacturer’s instruction so you will know how to get the most out of your equipment.
3. Feel for radiator cold spots – Cold spots on your radiators are usually a sign of trapped air in your system; to get rid of that air, you will probably need to bleed your radiators.
4. Insulate the condensate pipe – If you have a condensing boiler, it needs to discharge wastewater from the combustion process into a sewer in order to operate safely. That water vapor is sent through a plastic condensate pipe, which often runs outside or through unconditioned spaces (basements, crawl spaces, etc.). That exposure can lead to water vapor freezing inside the pipe; if that happens, your boiler will shut off as a safety measure. By insulating the condensate pipe, you should be able to prevent this problem from happening.
5. Schedule routine maintenance – Annual maintenance by a qualified professional is vital to the proper and reliable function of any heating equipment, including your boiler. If you haven’t scheduled annual service for your boiler, contact us today to schedule an appointment with one of our heating pros.
6. Keep emergency contact information handy – Store emergency contact information for your heating system repair company somewhere handy so anyone in your home can access it during a no-heat emergency.
7. Consider equipment upgrades – There will eventually come a time when holding on to your old equipment becomes a poor financial decision – either because the efficiency of your system has significantly declined or because repairs have become too frequent or costly. When that time comes, be sure to hire an experienced professional to install your new gas- or oil-fired boiler – it may cost a little more, but you’ll more than gain that investment back in the form of lower bills, fewer repairs, and more reliable operation over the course of your equipment’s lifetime.

You might be ready for another Worcester-area winter, but is your boiler? Make sure by scheduling service for your heating system today. Contact Pioneer Oil and Propane today to learn more.