Oil furnaces use oil warmed on its burners to heat up an entire house. They spray oil into a small combustion chamber which is then lit up by a fire produced by the furnace. Once the oil is hot, the heat is propelled through the house by way of a furnace fan. Oil furnaces will heat automatically. There's no sticking a match into the machine to light the oil or a pilot light, but if it is not igniting, you can check a few things to make sure.
Step 1
Check to make sure your machine is turned on. While an obvious step, it may prevent a needless visit from the repairman.
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Step 2
Check the oil tank to make sure that it is full. If the tank has no oil, then you will have to refill it before the fire will ignite.
Step 3
Unplug the machine and plug it back in. If the machine does not start automatically, hit the reset button once. This should spark a fire. Only hit the button once to prevent a buildup of oil.
Step 4
If none of these solutions work, you may have some issues with your oil furnace. See the Resources below for some other ways to troubleshoot your oil furnace. Call a furnace repairman if your furnace is still not lighting.
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