Homes across Salem, Corvallis, and the Willamette Valley that heat with oil rely on Day Heating for oil furnace repair, replacement, installation, and maintenance. We install Bryant oil furnaces as a Bryant Factory Authorized Dealer, and we service the oil furnaces already in your home. Call 503-363-4822 or request service online to schedule oil furnace service this heating season.
Headquartered in Salem, OR | Oregon CCB #1090 | Bryant Factory Authorized Dealer | 4.8 from 240+ Google Reviews
Oil Furnace Repair When Your Heat Stops, Smokes, or Cycles Too Often
Our technicians repair oil furnaces that will not start, shut off after a minute or two, smoke, smell of oil, or cycle on and off too often. Most oil furnace repairs come down to a small group of parts: nozzles, oil and air filters, fuel lines and pumps, ignition electrodes and transformers, cad cell flame sensors, and blower motors. We find the cause before replacing anything, and you get a quote before any work begins.
A Salem homeowner with an older oil furnace credited our technician for the repair and for advice on caring for the filter and the oil tank. When a repair no longer makes sense, we say so and walk through replacement options instead.
Oil Furnace Maintenance and Tune-Ups Before Winter
An oil furnace tune-up covers the nozzle, oil filter, burner, combustion, flue, heat exchanger, blower, and safety controls, along with the cleaning that keeps soot and sludge from building up. Servicing the furnace once a year, before heating season, is the best way to avoid a breakdown in the middle of winter.
A clogged air filter is one of the most common causes of poor airflow and breakdowns, and it also hurts your indoor air quality. A preventative maintenance plan keeps the annual visit on the calendar so the oil furnace is checked before the first cold stretch.
Oil Furnace Replacement and Installation
Oil furnaces commonly last 20 to 25 years, and a unit near the end of that range that needs frequent repairs, produces soot, or burns through more oil each winter is a good candidate for replacement. We install Bryant oil furnaces sized to the home, and installation includes checking the oil tank, fuel lines, and flue, connecting the new furnace to your existing ductwork, and testing the system before we leave.
Replacement cost depends on the size of the furnace, the condition of the tank and ductwork, and the model you choose, so we measure the home first and quote from there. Ask about financing when you request an estimate.
How an Oil Furnace Works
When the thermostat calls for heat, the burner pulls oil from the storage tank, a nozzle sprays it as a fine mist mixed with air, and an electrode ignites it in the combustion chamber. The heat exchanger passes that heat to the air your blower sends through the ducts. Unlike a gas furnace, which connects to a utility gas line, an oil furnace depends on a storage tank on your property that has to stay filled and in good condition.
How AFUE Affects Your Oil Bill
AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) shows how much of the oil a furnace turns into heat. A rating of 85 AFUE, for example, means 85 percent of the fuel becomes heat and the rest leaves through the flue. An older furnace wastes more of every gallon, and a high-efficiency oil furnace uses less oil to heat the same home.
Oil Furnace Questions From Salem-Area Homeowners
Can I still get my oil furnace serviced or repaired?
Yes. We repair and maintain oil furnaces and install Bryant oil models, and parts remain available for most units. Regular service keeps an older oil furnace running safely through the winter, and a technician can tell you whether a repair makes sense or the unit is nearing the end of its life. A Salem customer credited our technician for sorting out an older oil furnace and for the advice on caring for the filter and oil tank.
Are oil furnaces being phased out?
Oil heat has fallen out of favor as more homeowners switch to natural gas or electric heat pumps, since natural gas service reaches most of Salem, Corvallis, and Albany. That said, an existing oil furnace isn’t obsolete, and we still service, repair, and replace oil systems.
Why does my oil furnace keep shutting off after a minute or two in my Salem-area home?
A burner that lights and then quits often has a dirty or failing cad cell, the sensor that confirms the flame, or a clogged nozzle or filter starving the flame of oil. Check that the oil tank is not low and the thermostat is calling for heat. If the furnace still shuts down, it needs a technician rather than another restart.
How many times can I press the reset button on my oil burner?
Press it once. If the burner shuts down again, stop and call us, because repeated resets can flood the combustion chamber with unburned oil and make the next start unsafe. A burner that locks out is telling you something is wrong with ignition, fuel, or the flame sensor.
Will my oil furnace keep running if the power goes out in my Willamette Valley home?
No. The burner motor, ignition transformer, and blower all run on electricity, so a power outage shuts an oil furnace down even with a full tank. When power returns, the furnace should restart on its own, and if it does not, call us.
Do I need a carbon monoxide detector with an oil furnace?
Yes. Any fuel-burning appliance can produce carbon monoxide if it is not burning or venting properly, so keep working detectors near the bedrooms and on each level of the home. If an alarm sounds, leave the house and call 911 before you call for service.
Can I switch from an oil furnace to a gas furnace or heat pump?
Often, depending on whether a gas line reaches your street and what your ductwork can support. We install gas furnaces and heat pumps as well as oil furnaces, so we can compare the options for your home and let you decide whether to stay with oil. Oil furnaces are more common in older homes with minimal insulation. Switching to gas in a home with lower insulation levels tends to be easier than switching to a heat pump, and our Day Energy experts can show you how to make the home itself more energy efficient.
Schedule Oil Furnace Repair, Replacement, or a Tune-Up
Whether your oil furnace has stopped heating or you want it serviced before the cold arrives, our team is ready to help. Call 503-363-4822 or request service online to schedule oil furnace service for your home.