Your oil furnace works hard to keep you safe and comfortable throughout the long winter here in New Jersey—sometimes a little too hard.

If your furnace stays running even after it reaches the temperature you set on your thermostat —or if it runs constantly but never reaches the temperature on your thermostat—it could indicate a problem that will cost you in both higher heating bills and equipment wear and tear.

Furnace Troubleshooting Tips

Here’s what to do in both scenarios:

If your furnace runs constantly but can’t reach its target temperature:

• Check Your Thermostat Settings – Set a temperature that your furnace can actually reach (the U.S. Department of Energy recommends 68°F during the winter months). Setting a temperature that’s too high, especially on a cold day, is an exercise in futility.
• Change Air Filters Regularly – A clogged furnace air filter will inhibit air flow, causing your heating system’s blower to exert more energy to push air through to reach your living space. Over time, that energy will cost you in fuel use and equipment wear and tear. Check your filter once a month during winter, changing or cleaning it (depending on the model) as needed.
• Check Your Ducts – Your heating system’s ductwork will develop leaks over time, preventing the air you payed to warm from reaching your living space. Seal obvious visible ductwork leaks, paying particular attention to joints, and consider having your ducts professionally sealed every five years or so.
• Weatherize – One reason why your furnace may be having a hard time is that your home is working against it: air leaks around windows, doors, and within walls and ceilings can rob your home of 15 percent efficiency or more. Give your furnace a break by sealing windows with plastic, caulking cracks around window frames, add weatherstripping around door jambs, installing doorsweeps on exterior doors, and upgrading insulation to proper R-levels.

If your furnace runs constantly even after reaching its target temperature:

• Use The “Auto” Rather Than the “On” Setting on Your Thermostat – To move heated air from the furnace into your living space, your heating system uses a blower, which pushes the air through ducts and vents (if you have a boiler and radiators or baseboards, this does not apply). That blower can be set to operate whether or not the furnace is actually producing hot air, which is what happens when you set your thermostat’s heat mode to “on” rather than “auto” (in “auto” mode, the two operate in tandem). If your furnace is constantly running, check the settings on your thermostat; if it is set to “on,” switch to “auto” and see if the problem goes away.
• Check Your Thermostat – If switching from on to auto didn’t fix the problem, check your thermostat for damage or dead batteries. If changing the batteries doesn’t fix the problem, you may need to replace your thermostat.

If none of these solutions fixes your problem heating system, contact Fredericks Fuel for professional heating service. Our technicians will diagnose the problem and fix it quickly so you can enjoy the safe, warm comfort of your New Jersey home.

For expert oil furnace repairs in NJ, trust the pros at the Fredericks Fuels. Contact us today to learn more!