24/7 Emergency Heating Service in South County, RI
Heat out. We pick up. We dispatch.
No call centers, no robo-voices, no being routed to an overnight answering service that takes a message. The SmithCo emergency line is answered by a real dispatcher around the clock, every day of the year. When you call, a service truck is en route within hours, often the same night for true emergencies. Service plan members get front-of-queue dispatch and reduced or waived after-hours rates.
(401) 789-2520
Tap to call · Answered 24/7/365
Real person on the line
Dispatch on true emergencies
Across South County, RI
What counts as a heating emergency?
Not every heating issue requires same-night dispatch. Here is how we tier severity so you know whether to call the emergency line or schedule a standard visit.
True Emergency
- No heat at all in winter (pipes at freezing risk)
- Oil leak inside the home
- Persistent smell of oil or smoke
- Carbon monoxide detector alarm
- Visible water pooling around boiler
- Burner reset has tripped twice with no fix
Urgent, Not Critical
- System running but heat is weak
- One zone cold, others working
- Unusual noises that just started
- Hot water out but heat still works
- Pilot or ignition failing intermittently
- System short-cycling repeatedly
Can Wait Until Business Hours
- System working but inefficient
- Rooms unevenly heated (no zone failure)
- Minor noises that have been there for months
- Higher than expected heating bills
- Filter or maintenance reminder
- Planning a tune-up or upgrade
From the moment you dial, here is the timeline
A real dispatcher answers
Live human on the line, not a robo-voice. You describe what is happening. The dispatcher confirms your address and what equipment you have on file. This usually takes 90 seconds.
Triage and dispatch decision
Based on what you described, we determine emergency severity, identify the nearest available tech, and quote an arrival window. Service plan members move to the front of the queue automatically.
Tech rolling toward your home
A SmithCo truck departs with the most likely parts based on your described symptoms. We text or call to confirm ETA. You know the technician’s name before they pull in the driveway.
Truck arrives, repair begins
Master Pipe Fitter on every call. Diagnostic, written quote before any work begins, repair completed when parts are on the truck. Most emergency repairs done same visit.
Heat back on, system tested
Combustion analysis confirms safe operation before we leave. You get a written summary of what was done and what to watch for. Most true emergencies are fully resolved the same night.
A few things you can safely do until the truck arrives
If you have already called and the truck is on the way, there are a handful of safe steps you can take to protect your home and stay comfortable while you wait. None of these require touching the heating equipment itself.
Protect against frozen pipes
Open faucets to a steady drip on lines that run along exterior walls. Open cabinet doors under kitchen and bathroom sinks to let warm air reach the pipes.
Close interior doors
Concentrate residual warmth in fewer rooms. Close doors to unused rooms and gather the household into the smallest functional space.
Add blankets and dress in layers
Sweaters, wool socks, blankets, hats indoors. Sounds obvious but matters more than you think when ambient temperature is dropping fast.
If you smell oil, ventilate and exit
Strong oil smell or smoke is a safety issue. Open windows for cross-ventilation, leave the home if symptoms worsen, and tell us when you called so we prioritize accordingly.
Do not keep hitting the reset button
Two reset attempts is the maximum. Beyond that, fuel can pool in the combustion chamber and become a fire hazard on the next ignition attempt. Wait for the tech.
Do not run unvented space heaters
Unvented propane or kerosene heaters in an enclosed home cause carbon monoxide buildup. Electric space heaters are fine; combustion-based ones are not.
24/7 emergency dispatch across all 19 South County towns
Our emergency line covers the same 19-town footprint as our daytime service area. Coastal towns, inland towns, year-round and seasonal addresses. When the call comes in, we dispatch the nearest available tech regardless of town. See full service area details.
Technician came on Christmas Day in a timely manner and quickly plugged the leak in our tank. HUGE help to our family at an inconvenient time. Very professional.
Three ways to avoid needing this number in the first place
Most heating emergencies are predictable. The same three preventative habits handle 80 percent of the no-heat calls we receive each winter.
Annual Tune-Up
A skipped tune-up is the most common reason a healthy system becomes an emergency. Annual maintenance catches issues before they fail in January.
See Tune-Ups →
Service Plan Membership
Plan members get tune-ups included, parts coverage on 50+ components, and priority dispatch when emergencies do happen. Most pay for themselves the first year.
See Service Plans →
Automatic Oil Delivery
Running out of fuel is the easiest emergency to prevent. Automatic delivery tracks your usage so the tank never runs dry, even during a cold snap.
See Auto Delivery →
Emergency service, answered
Is the emergency line really answered 24/7?
How fast can you actually get a tech here?
Do you charge extra for emergency or after-hours service?
What if I am not currently a SmithCo customer?
What information should I have ready when I call?
What if it is a fuel issue, not a system issue?
Call the line that gets answered
SmithCo 24/7 Emergency
(401) 789-2520
Tap to call now
Master Pipe Fitter License #2703
Family-owned since 1985