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Deep Freeze Dilemas

What to do when your heat goes out in the middle of winter

Dec 20, 2021 | 6:00 PM

The cold weather has officially arrived in the northeast as temperatures continue to sit well below the freezing mark.

With how bad the deep freeze outside is, the need to keep the inside warm grows. Sometimes, those needs aren’t met as furnaces and boilers can get overworked and eventually quit. With that in mind, it’s important to know what to do in these situations.

NortheastNOW was able to speak with a local technician from Main Plumbing and Heating, Chad Miller who said one of the main causes he sees is air filters, among other things.

“The biggest thing you can do when the heat goes out is to check the air filter, we see that a lot of times,” he said. “That’ll stop the air from flowing around and the furnace will shut off. Another thing is making sure the vents are clear and not iced up or in a snowbank.”

“If there’s a drain in your furnace, you want to make sure that’s all clear and there’s water flowing through there. If your thermostat has batteries, those likely need to be checked or changed. If there’s an error code on your furnace, record those blinks before you go reset something. Also, if you had company, they may have accidentally hit a power switch that they thought was a light switch.”

Miller also explained the do’s and don’t’s when trying to keep you and your home warm, while you’re waiting for it to get fixed.

“The best way is an electric space heater,” he said. “You sometimes see people turn their oven on because they get pretty desperate, you see people try all sorts of things but preferably don’t run the oven. The best backup ever is a gas fireplace. They can run off batteries, so even if the power goes out you still get some heat. Wearing extra layers is good too. Really, the most important thing to keep in mind is it’s just about keeping your pipes from freezing.”

Miller also mentioned, should you need service, it’s very beneficial to know the exact type of machine that is heating your house.

“Know the model or serial number of your furnace or boiler and know where to find it. If you phone someone and can give that information, that saves one extra trip,” he said.

But Miller said, arguably, the most important and easy thing you can do is to have regular service, so you don’t get stuck in this situation.

“A service or replacement, ideally before it gets cold. Scheduling a tune-up or service call once a year isn’t a bad thing. Especially with a boiler, there are lots of parts to it, so just making sure someone who knows what they’re doing goes through it once in a while, just to make sure everything is working.”

Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter @BenTompkins_8