If you have an oil-fired heating system at your home you are probably not new to the idea of the system not firing up when you want it the most. Maintaining an oil-fired central heating is pretty tough and needs your regular attention if you want to save money on hiring professionals.

So here are some basic and easy things you can do to make sure you don’t have to people from boiler services:

• Make sure there is oil: This is perhaps the first thing you should do before losing your mind on why your system doesn’t fire up. If you have an Oil-fired heating system, make sure you fill it with at least the minimum amount of oil it need to start. Don’t flood the tank with oil as turning on the heater might actually turn into a disaster.
• Check the electric supply: once you’ve checked the oil levels, before coming to a conclusion that you need to call up your local boiler service, make sure your system is at least plugged to an electric supply. If it is, then check for damaged wiring or loose connections. Also check for voltage of current right at that moment as sometimes low voltage electricity might be the reason your heat doesn’t fire up.
• Check Thermostat: Sometimes your heating system may actually be perfectly fine but you’ve set the temperature of the thermostat so low that the system doesn’t fire primarily because you are indirectly telling it that there is no need. So turn up the thermostat when your oil-fired system isn’t firing. Don’t forget to set the thermostat at the level your supplier suggested.
• Check the pump: The next thing on the list of things you need to look for is the pump. Make sure the pump coupling isn’t all stripped. Unblock the pump if it is not. Also check the electrodes and the transformers, both of which may lead to a dysfunctional pump.
• Check for blockages: The heating system nozzles often get clogged over time. You don’t use the system during summers, so it accumulates dust and dirt. So by the end of the year there are multiple blockages at times in the entire system. The best way to avoid it is to regularly clean the system but that’s not what happens anyway. So when your system doesn’t fire during winters, don’t forget to check the system for blockages.
• Oil Quality: Make sure you fill your heating system with clean oil. Oil may contain too much dirt or maybe contaminated with water.

If you have checked for all possible sources of error and made sure none of the above is stopping your system from firing up, the only option you have left is calling up your boiler services and seeking help. Boiler service cost is increasing with time just like any other commodity or service today but it can always be cut down by taking care of your system all through the year even when you don’t need it to make sure it serves its purpose when you do.