Abington · No Heat
House going cold in Abington after an outage, an empty oil tank, or a burner in lockout? Get safe first, then call to reach an independent heating contractor who serves the town.
Abington, Massachusetts
Plenty of Abington no-heat calls start outside the furnace room. Strong winds have brought down trees and wires here before, and nearly every boiler or furnace, gas or oil, needs electricity for its controls, igniter, and pump or blower. In an oil-heated home, which Census estimates put at more than a third of the town, an empty tank stops the heat just as surely.
Before either of those, safety: a carbon monoxide alarm or a gas smell means everyone leaves the house now, and the call to 911 or National Grid gets made from outside. Don't stop to open windows or hunt for the source.
With everyone safe, call or send a request from wherever you're warm. South Shore HVAC Finder will connect you with an independent heating contractor who works in Abington. We're a referral service and don't make repairs; the contractor quotes the job and does the work.
An oil burner that shuts down and won't stay running after one reset is protecting itself from a failed ignition. Leave it for a technician.
If the power is back but the boiler or furnace hasn't restarted, a switched-off service switch, a blown fuse, or a control that didn't reset may be the cause.
Running an oil tank dry can pull sludge into the line, so even after a delivery the burner may need its line bled and a new filter.
Black streaks near the burner door or a strong oil odor point to poor combustion. Turn the system off at its service switch and call.
In deep cold, an unheated house can freeze pipes within hours, which turns a heating problem into a water problem as well.
Local knowledge
What the town's own records say about why Abington homes lose heat.
Storm Outages
Abington's 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan notes trees falling onto service wires on March 31, 2016, and damaging winds on February 7, 2020 that caused outages and left a tree across Route 18. When the power fails, the heating system stops with it, so a storm outage is often the whole reason the house is cold.
Oil Heat
That share comes from Census estimates for 2019 to 2023, with gas at 43.1% and electricity at 16.4%. Oil systems bring their own failure points: a dry tank, a clogged filter or nozzle, and a burner that locks itself out after a failed start.
Fire Department Role
The Abington Fire Department's fee schedule lists permits for installing or altering oil burners, storing fuel oil and propane, and installing or removing tanks, plus smoke and carbon monoxide detector inspections. If an emergency repair turns into a new burner or tank, that permit belongs on the contractor's list.
Source: Abington Fire Department
Right now
Work down this list in order, and stop at any step that doesn't feel safe.
If a carbon monoxide alarm sounds or you smell gas, get everyone and the pets out, then call 911 or National Grid from outdoors. Touching a light switch or the thermostat on your way past can make a spark, so skip it.
Check whether neighbors have lights and whether National Grid reports an outage on your street. If the power is out, the heating system will usually start again on its own once service returns.
Oil households should look at the float gauge on the tank before anything else. If it's at or near empty, call your fuel supplier, and tell the heating contractor the tank ran dry.
An oil burner's reset button may be pressed one time. If it locks out again, stop there: repeated presses can pump extra oil into the combustion chamber.
Open sink cabinets on outside walls so room heat reaches the pipes. If you use a space heater, plug it straight into the wall and keep it clear of anything that burns.
What to expect
The technician will usually confirm the basics you've checked, then move to the burner or ignition, the controls, the safety switches, and the pump or blower. On an oil system that means the filter, nozzle, and electrodes; on gas equipment, the igniter, flame sensor, and venting. Clear a path to the basement and the tank before they arrive.
Most repairs that bring the heat back need no permit. If the visit ends with a new burner, a replaced tank, or new gas equipment, permits come into play: the Building Department issues gas permits through Abington's OpenGov portal, and the Fire Department handles oil burner and tank permits. The contractor should explain which apply and file them.
If the system is old and failing, you may hear a replacement suggestion. Asking for a temporary fix that gets you through the night, plus a written proposal you can compare in daylight, is entirely reasonable.
Hire smart
Massachusetts has no single HVAC license. Gas work needs a gas fitter license, oil burner work a Department of Fire Services certificate, ductwork a sheet metal license, and larger refrigeration systems a refrigeration technician license. Most heating and cooling installs need a town permit.
Tell the contractor up front whether the house runs on oil, gas, or electric heat. Oil burner service and gas work call for different credentials and parts.
Oil burner technicians hold a Department of Fire Services certificate you can verify online, and gas fitters a state license you can look up on the occupational license check.
Before the technician heads to your house, ask how night or weekend visits are charged and whether diagnosis is billed separately from the repair.
Abington's Building Department won't recommend contractors and tells residents to confirm license and registration with the Commonwealth. Take a minute to do that, even in a rush.
Costs
The cause sets the bill. Bleeding a line after a dry tank, swapping a filter and nozzle, or replacing an igniter are smaller jobs than a failed control board or a cracked heat exchanger. After-hours timing and parts that aren't on the truck add to it.
Ask for the diagnosis in plain words and a written estimate before any work beyond getting the heat back. If replacement comes up, ask the contractor to price the repair as well, so you can decide with both numbers in hand.
More help in Abington
Every page below is written for Abington homes. Or start from the Abington hvac guide.
Questions
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Not necessarily. Boilers and furnaces need electricity for their controls and pumps or blowers, so they stop when the power does. If the heat doesn't return once the power is back, check the service switch and then call for help.
Once is the limit. If the burner locks out a second time, something is wrong with fuel, ignition, or air, and repeated resets can flood the chamber with oil. Leave it off and call.
Call your fuel supplier for a delivery first. After a dry tank the burner often needs its line bled and filter changed, so you may also need a heating contractor; call or send a request to be connected with one who serves Abington.
Yes. Installing or altering an oil burner is on the Abington Fire Department's permit schedule, and new gas equipment needs a gas permit from the Building Department. The contractor normally files it.
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