Oil Burner Locked Out: Reset Button in Gibbstown, NJ

Why once, not five times

Every reset sends oil through the nozzle. If the burner is not lighting, that oil collects in the combustion chamber. Pressing the button again and again can soak the chamber, and when the burner finally catches it can puff smoke or soot through the house. One reset, then a technician.

Why oil burners lock out

Low or empty tank. The most common cause. The gauge on top of an indoor tank, or a delivery receipt, tells you. When a tank runs dry, air and sludge get pulled into the line, and after a delivery the burner often needs the line bled before it will run.

Clogged filter or nozzle. Oil filters and nozzles are changed at the yearly service. A burner that missed a service is more likely to fail on the first cold night.

Ignition. The transformer or igniter makes the spark. If it weakens, the oil sprays and does not light.

Cad cell. The cell watches for the flame. Covered in soot, it reports darkness even when the flame is there.

Gibbstown and oil

Census estimates for ZIP 08027 put fuel oil in about three households in ten, several times the Gloucester County share. That makes oil-burner lockouts one of the more common winter calls here, and it is a reason to book the annual service in early fall rather than in January.

While you wait

If there is a smell of oil smoke, or soot around the burner door, leave the burner off. If a carbon monoxide alarm sounds, get out and call 911.

What to say when you call

Oil, boiler or furnace, and roughly how old
Whether the tank was low or a delivery just came
Whether the reset button was pressed, and how many times
When the burner was last serviced
Address and ZIP code

Something else going on?

No heat, and nothing is runningThe thermostat is calling and the furnace or boiler stays silent.The furnace lights, then shuts offBurners catch, run briefly, and go out again.The boiler runs, but radiators or baseboard stay coldSome rooms heat, others never warm up.The gas company shut off the furnace and left a tagA utility tag on the appliance and the gas valve closed.The AC is running but the air is warmFan runs, vents blow room-temperature air.There is ice on the AC lines or the indoor coilFrost on the copper line, or water pooling as it melts.

Towns with their own page

Gibbstown 08027Paulsboro 08066Mickleton 08056Clarksboro 08020Mount Royal 08061Swedesboro 08085Thorofare 08086National Park 08063Pedricktown 08067Woodbury 08096

The oil burner locked out and the reset button is up