While heating your home with oil is one of the safest and most efficient ways to keep you and your family cozy and warm when it’s cold outside, there are things that can happen in rare instances when you might ask yourself “when is it appropriate to call for After-Hours emergency service?”
During regular business hours it is easy to look after all types of service calls. However, after hours, when there are one or two technicians “On-Call”, only emergency calls can be managed. This ensures that priority calls are looked after quickly. Time is of the essence when dealing with no heat in the middle of winter or an oil leak.
When you call for service after regular business hours, consider the following situations.
- Your furnace is not operating, and you need heat. If this happens, there are a few things you can do before calling:
- make sure the power (red switch plate near the furnace) is turned on and that the fuse is not blown, or the breaker tripped
- check to see that you have oil in the tank
- verify that the thermostat is at the desired temperature
- if all above is normal, press the reset button on the furnace burner ONLY ONCE (doing so more than once can cause additional problems). If the furnace does not start, call for emergency service
- You have no hot water. You should call for emergency service
- You have one or more zones that are not heating or are overheating. You should call for emergency service
- You have a water leak. If the leak has a steady stream or you notice a lot of water on the floor surrounding your furnace or water heater, you should call for emergency service. If the leak is a minor drip, in most cases it can wait until the following business day
- You have an oil leak. No matter how small, you should call for emergency service. A technician will come out and investigate as it can often lead to bigger issues
- If you smell oil or smoke coming from your furnace or see any leaks, you should call emergency service to explain the problem. If the fumes are strong and you believe your health is at risk, you should leave the house right away
- If your CO detector alarm sounds, you should gather everyone and leave the house immediately. Carbon Monoxide is a colourless and odourless gas that can very quickly be extremely dangerous to humans and pets. Once outside in the fresh air, you should call 911.
- When in doubt, call. The technician On-Call will be able to assess your situation and recommend the necessary actions.
Scotia Fuels provides top-notch 24-hour service. During regular business hours 8 am until 5 pm, Monday thru Friday we have eleven (11) competent technicians looking after service requests and furnace cleanings. After hours and on weekends, we have one (1) technician on call and one (1) additional technician standing by (during the winter) should the lead tech get backed up with calls.
At Scotia Fuels, we want all our customers to be warm, healthy, and safe in their homes. This is why the price of our oil includes emergency 24-hour service, 7 days a week, even during holidays. If you have an issue, please do not hesitate to call us. One of our local staff persons will answer the phone, almost always within 2 rings, and a certified technician will get back to you very quickly.
If you’re not yet a Scotia Fuels customer, please visit us at https://scotiafuels.com/contact-us/, or even better, call us at 902-453-2121. We’d love to talk with you.