How often should I service my heating oil furnace or boiler?

Are thoughts of your heating oil system keeping you up at night? We didn’t think so! But now that we are on the topic, it’s actually a great idea to know when it should be on your mind. And guess what? Making this a priority once a year will keep your heating oil system running smoothly!

Everything you need to know about annual tune-ups

You probably see your heating oil furnace or boiler every time you walk by with your overflowing piles of laundry, you just don’t think twice about it. It always looks the same, so it must be totally fine, right?

An annual tune-up will keep it working great – and keep it off your mind the other 364 days a year! Doing a yearly tune up preserves the health of your system, making sure it can burn at its maximum efficiency to save you money on heating expenses all year long. Tune ups are also the best way to ensure your system is safe and your tank isn’t leaking oil – headaches you never need.

Now that you know performing an annual tune up is the best protection policy for your system, how do you make it happen? There are two options, but let’s start with the quickest route if you’re not doing it yourself.

Option #1. Call a qualified HVAC technician if you don’t know what a heating oil filter is.

Google is your friend here, so find a qualified tech and get a date on the calendar. Now that you’ve done your part - easy right? - here’s what they will do:

Dive into a complete thorough health-check inspection and cleaning including:

  • Changing heating oil filters

  • Vacuum clean all heating surfaces

  • Check the flue pipe and chimney flue to ensure they are clear and in good condition

  • Clean all burner parts including the air fan and housing, ignition electrodes, burner head, and chambers

  • Replace fuel and air filters and bleed all the air from the fuel system

  • Replace burner nozzle and oil pump strainer

  • Seal air leaks around the burner and heat exchanger

  • Use combustion test equipment to measure efficiency

  • Adjust the burner for high efficiency

  • Record final combustion efficiency for tuned system

  • Start and stop the burner several times to ensure satisfactory operations

  • Inspect the oil tank

  • Check the furnace to replace the air filter, clean any reusable filters, and check the blower belts

Option #2. DIY!

If you are familiar with your heating system and are comfortable with things like how to change heating oil filters and other necessary steps for cleaning, you totally can attempt it.

Here are some tips and resources to get you started:

  • Make sure the system is turned off!

  • Perform the safety check we’ve put together for you here.

Check out some DIY resources online (there are a ton out there), but here’s a couple we grabbed for you depending on your skill level:

P.S. Don’t forget the cool perk of our ULSHO oil!

You already know Heatable gives our customers the best ULSHO oil around at the least expensive prices. We went deep into ULSHO oil here but as a quick reminder, it’s the cleanest heating oil around at a maximum efficiency that saves you money and helps out Mother Nature. It should help with your annual tune ups, too. Over time the switch to ULSHO should reduce the carbon and other impurities in your system and it should burn cleaner and more efficiently. So, while you still need annual cleanings, your system should be in pretty good shape at its yearly check-up!

My system is all tuned up for the year, and I need more oil! Fill-er’ up!

At Heatable, we are all about bringing you heating oil in the smartest, fastest, least expensive, and easiest way possible. To get started, simply enter your zip code on our website or app and see if you live in one of our ever-expanding Maine & New Hampshire delivery areas. If you do, we’ll show you the current price of oil – and let you know exactly when we can deliver it (hint: very quickly, we’re kinda known for that). You’ll need to enter a few pieces of information for your first delivery, and then from there on out you can order heating oil anywhere, anytime, and all online with just two taps and a swipe on your smartphone. Just Tap, Tap, Swipe and we bring the heat!

Learn more about Heating Oil

Visit our Ultimate Consumer’s Guide to Heating Oil for everything you need to know about heating your home with #2 heating oil.

Why Heatable?

Heatable’s the smart way to order oil! Our website and quick order app put you in control of your heating oil purchases. You can order anywhere and at any time. Just enter your zip to see your super-low price and get started.

We provide lower prices for all! Heatable is committed to providing consistently low heating oil prices. Our technology and streamlined process allow us to offer the same low price to everyone – no negotiating necessary.

We’re heating oil superstars! Founded by industry veterans, we’ve been around the block (literally hundreds of thousands of times). We have our own fleet of bright orange trucks, and we make our own deliveries.

Heating oil delivery at your fingertips. Try us today!

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