What Should I Do if My Furnace Fails?
What Should I Do if My Furnace Fails?
A properly-installed and well-maintained furnace should be able to last many years before failing, usually around 15-20. However, accidents can happen, and even reliable furnaces can have a sudden breakdown. If this happens in the winter, it’s important to know what to do, because a house without heating can become dangerous.
The first thing you should do is call for a heating furnace repair service, and hope they can get there as soon as possible. Here are some tips for dealing with broken heat in the winter.
Keeping Warm When Your Heat Goes Out
1 – Block cold air flow
If your heat goes out, try to preserve what heat is in the house. Close the blinds, and if possible, drape blankets over the windows and doors to add insulation. If you have drafty spots, such as the bottoms of doors, push towels into the cracks to prevent cold air from getting in.
2 – Use alternative heaters
If you have space heaters, or a fireplace, you’ll be in decent shape. These can keep you warm in a pinch, at least warm enough that there’s no health danger. However, be aware that space heaters can use a lot of power. Be careful not to overload your outlets or circuit breaker. The last thing you want is the power going out alongside the furnace outage.
If you don’t have those, heating pads or heated blankets can also be valuable sources of warmth.
3 – Run hot appliances
This is a stopgap and wastes a lot of energy, appliances such as your oven or clothes washer can generate quite a bit of heat. Spending a day with your family huddled around the oven or stove isn’t much fun, but it’s better than being freezing cold.
One warning: do not do this with a gas-powered oven. This can lead to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide getting into your home. The same is true of any other gas-powered appliances, such as grills. However, it’s safe with electric or wood-fired appliances.
4 – Protect your pipes
People often forget about the possibility of pipes freezing when the heat goes out, but it’s a serious concern. If the pipes freeze, they could burst, and only add to your problems.
So while you wait for the heating furnace repair crew to arrive, open up all the cabinets and other doors leading to exposed pipes, such as under the sink. If you have a space space heater, keep it running near vulnerable pipes. Also, turn on all the faucets so that they’re dripping just a little. The flowing water is harder to freeze.
If your heat goes out in the winter, it can be dangerous, so don’t wait to call for furnace repair. Melton’s Heating & Air Conditioning provides excellent affordable furnace repair and replacement services across the Salem, OR area. Whenever you need help with your heating, just give us a call and we’ll be there ASAP.
Tags: air conditioning installation salem OR, Heating & Air Conditioning, heating and Cooling Services
