Randolph · No Heat
Randolph furnace quit after a snowstorm, or a gas smell near the meter? Get outside and call first, then check the vents and reach a heating contractor who works in Randolph.
Randolph, Massachusetts
More than half of Randolph's homes heat with natural gas from Eversource Gas, so the first no-heat skills here are gas skills. Know what a leak smells like, know to leave before you look for it, and know that the meter and vent pipes outside your house matter as much as the furnace in the basement.
Randolph's housing is mostly mid-century; the typical home was built in the mid-1960s. Many of those furnaces and boilers have been replaced with high-efficiency models that vent through plastic pipes in a side wall, close to where snow piles up. A storm that drifts snow over those pipes can shut the heat off in a house with nothing broken.
If you smell gas or hear a carbon monoxide alarm, go outside and call 911 or Eversource Gas from there. When the house is safe, call or send a request and South Shore HVAC Finder will connect you with an independent heating contractor who serves Randolph. We don't do the work.
A furnace that starts, runs briefly, and shuts off after a storm may be sensing a blocked intake or exhaust pipe outside.
An odor around the meter is still an emergency. Move away from the house and call 911 or Eversource Gas; don't try to find the leak.
Heavy ice on gas equipment, especially from a dripping gutter, should be reported to the gas company rather than chipped off.
If the furnace's status light flashes the same pattern after a reset, the control has found a fault a technician needs to diagnose.
Local knowledge
Fuel, house age, and the town's permit system all bear on a Randolph heating emergency.
Mostly Gas Heat
Utility gas heats about 55 percent of occupied Randolph homes, with fuel oil at 21 percent and electricity at 19 percent, per 2020-2024 Census estimates. For most households that makes Eversource Gas the company to call, from outside, about any gas odor.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Meters In Winter
Eversource's winter guidance is to clear snow and ice from gas meters and piping carefully with a broom or by hand, keep a path open for first responders, and never shovel snow up against the meter or vent pipe. It also asks customers to knock down icicles that could drip and freeze on the equipment.
Source: Eversource
1960s Housing
Census estimates put Randolph's median year built at 1966. Houses that age have usually had their heating replaced at least once, and a newer sealed-combustion furnace may now draw air through a side-wall pipe that a snowbank can cover.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Right now
Start at the top and stop if anything seems unsafe.
Leave with everyone and call 911 or Eversource Gas once you're away from the house. Skip light switches, phones, and garage door openers until you're out.
Find the plastic intake and exhaust pipes on the outside wall and brush snow away from them by hand or with a broom. Don't jam anything into the openings.
With the vents clear, turn the thermostat down, wait a few minutes, then raise it again so the furnace tries a fresh start. If it locks out again, leave it and call.
Pipes over a garage or in an exterior wall freeze first in a 1960s house. Keep those rooms' doors open to the warmer core of the house and let a faucet on that side drip.
What to expect
On a gas furnace, the technician will usually read the error code, check the flame sensor and igniter, and confirm the pressure switch and vent pipes are working. On a hot water boiler they'll look at the circulator, the controls, and the system pressure.
If equipment has to be replaced, Randolph takes building, gas, and plumbing permit requests online through PermitEyes, and the gas fitter on the job files the gas permit. Ask the contractor to confirm the permit before the new unit goes in.
If you're selling soon, note that the Randolph Fire Department's smoke and carbon monoxide certificate for a sale is valid for 60 days, so heating work and alarm changes should be coordinated with that inspection.
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.
Anyone opening the gas line or replacing a gas furnace needs a Massachusetts gas fitter license. Check it on the state's occupational license search before work starts.
About a fifth of Randolph homes burn oil, and oil burner work requires a Department of Fire Services certificate, which you can verify on the DFS site.
If snow keeps blocking side-wall pipes, ask whether the vent termination can be raised or relocated, and get that as a separate written item.
Costs
A visit that ends with clearing a vent and restarting the furnace is a very different bill from one that ends with a new control board or inducer motor. Age of equipment, part availability, and the hour of the call all play in.
Ask up front how the visit is charged, and request a written estimate before any repair beyond the diagnosis. If replacing the furnace or boiler comes up, ask for the repair option as well and give yourself time to compare once the house is warm.
More help in Randolph
Every page below is written for Randolph homes. Or start from the Randolph hvac guide.
Learning Center
Heating and cooling work in Massachusetts is split across several state licenses. Knowing which one matches your system is the fastest way to tell a qualified contractor from a risky one.
Read the guide
A heat pump proposal is only as good as the design behind it. These questions help you compare quotes, protect your rebate eligibility, and avoid a system that's the wrong size for your house.
Read the guideQuestions
Still not sure? Send a short request and a local pro can answer the specifics.
Yes, if you're gentle. Eversource advises using a broom or your hands, not a shovel, and not piling snow against the meter or vent pipes. If the meter is encased in ice or damaged, call the gas company instead.
Many high-efficiency furnaces stop when their outside intake or exhaust pipe is blocked by snow or ice. Clear the pipes by hand, try one restart, and call for service if it shuts down again.
Randolph takes building, gas, and plumbing permit requests online through its PermitEyes system. Your contractor normally files them, so ask for the permit number.
Look at the tank gauge, confirm the burner's emergency switch is on, and press the reset button no more than once. If the burner still doesn't fire, call and describe what you saw.
Get connected
Share a few details and an independent local HVAC contractor who serves your town can follow up about the job. There’s no charge to use this site, and you decide whether to hire anyone.
Prefer to talk? Calling is the fastest way to reach a local HVAC contractor.
Call Now