No heat in an Arlington winter, a lockout that will not clear, or water threatening a finished basement — call any time. The emergency telephone line is available 24/7 and true Explain urgent symptoms first.
General inquiries: 7 AM–7 PM · Emergency calls: 24/7 · (888) 766-1474
Know it cold.
Every Arlington home with fuel-burning heat needs a CO drill: 1) detectors on every floor with bedrooms, plus near the boiler room — tested monthly, replaced per manufacturer schedule (usually 5–7 years). 2) If one alarms: get everyone out immediately — do not open windows first, do not investigate, do not grab belongings. 3) Call 911 from outside. 4) Do not re-enter until cleared.
CO is colorless, odorless, and its early symptoms (headache, dizziness, nausea) mimic the flu — which is why the detector, not your nose, is the warning system. A boiler that soots, a yellow lazy burner flame (oil), or a damaged flue all raise CO risk. When in doubt, get out.
Know the line.
What helps.
Note the error code (gas) or lockout pattern (oil). Protect pipes: open sink cabinets on exterior walls, let taps drip. If water is leaking into a finished basement, move valuables and close the boiler feed valve if safe. Do not keep resetting a locked-out burner.
The Arlington factor.
Arlington's beautifully renovated colonials hide a heating risk: finished basements below aging boilers. A weeping block that would be a nuisance in an unfinished cellar becomes a five-figure water event under hardwood and drywall. If your boiler is over 25 and the basement is finished, a leak is an emergency even when the heat still works. Say so on the call — it changes the triage.
Arlington-specific, in order.
Arlington’s renovated colonials add two wrinkles to the standard no-heat checklist. First, the thermostat may not be where you think: renovations relocate stats, add zones, and occasionally leave a disconnected stat on the wall that controls nothing. Find the controlling thermostat, confirm its display is lit and the setpoint is several degrees above room temperature, and check batteries if it takes them. Second, finished basements hide the boiler’s shutoffs — know where the feed valve and the electrical disconnect are before water is involved, not after.
The rest is universal. Breaker or fused disconnect not tripped. Pressure gauge holding roughly 12–15 psi on a cold boiler — a needle near zero means the system lost water, and our boiler pressure guide explains the implications. Note the error code or lockout pattern before you call, and do not keep resetting a locked-out burner hoping it catches. If a carbon monoxide alarm is sounding, skip everything: get everyone out, call 911 from outside, and do not re-enter until cleared.
Straight answers before you call.
Alarm sounds: everyone out, 911 from outside, no re-entry to investigate or ventilate first. Treat every alarm as real until the fire department clears the house. After the all-clear, the boiler gets inspected before it fires again — call (888) 766-1474 and say carbon monoxide. The drill is non-negotiable and worth rehearsing with the household.
No heat near freezing, gas smell, CO alarm, active leak, or a burner misfiring badly — the five that go to the front of the around-the-clock line. Uneven heat, new noises, and slow pressure drops are real problems for business hours. The test is safety and freeze risk, and the triage applies it honestly.
Keep pipes from freezing — dripping faucets, open cabinets on outside walls — and leave the boiler alone: one reset on a burner, none on a gas smell. Do not improvise heat with ovens or grills. In a tightened colonial, also report any new smells or headaches to the triage, since combustion-air issues surface in renovated houses.
Tightening the envelope without touching the heating: new windows and insulation reduced the heat load and the available combustion air, while the old boiler and its chimney stayed put. The result can be draft problems, short cycling, and in the worst case, backdrafting. If your house was renovated around an original boiler, say so when you call — it changes the diagnostic lens.
Fuel and fire first, then the renovation history: when the windows and insulation went in, whether the boiler was touched, and where the combustion air comes from now. Those answers steer the tech toward draft and sizing issues instead of a parts-swapping expedition. The house's renovation is part of the heating system now.
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