Unexpected Furnace Issues? Tips To Help Your Family Stay Comfortable While Awaiting Heating Repairs

Awakening in the middle of the night to a cold home may sound like a nightmare, but for those whose furnace stops working without warning, the threat becomes very real. When the home is located in an area that experiences extremely cold temperatures and negative windchill numbers, taking quick action is important to ensure that the family remains safe and comfortable and that the threat of freeze damage to the home's plumbing system is lessened. If you would like to learn how you can protect your family and home in the event of a furnace failure, the following tips provide some proactive measures that can help you accomplish this goal. 

Tip One: Make sure the furnace has actually failed

Like other appliances, furnaces can stop functioning for a variety of reasons. Homeowners who suddenly find that their furnace is not functioning should immediately verify that the electrical service to the furnace is working and switched on and the thermostat is set correctly. 

Tip Two: Take steps to prevent pipes from freezing

Pipes can freeze quickly in harsh weather when interior heat sources fail. To prevent the threat of freeze damage if your home will be without heat for several hours, homeowners should consider setting their taps to drip several times per minute until the heating repairs are completed and the home's interior temperature is well above freezing. 

Tip Three: Gather family together in a small area of the home

The next step is to gather the family together in a small area of the home where the doors can be closed or covered to help prevent unnecessary heat loss. A good choice for gathering the family together is often the kitchen, so that warm drinks and soups can be more easily prepared and consumed. If the home has some form of supplemental heat, such as a fireplace, pellet stove, or a portable space heater, taking advantage of these can help keep temperatures inside the home within a healthy, comfortable range. 

Tip Four: Stay alert and ready to evacuate, if the need should arise

Young children, older family members, and those with medical issues or disabilities may feel the cold more quickly and suffer physically from it, so it is important that a responsible adult remain alert and ready to evacuate immediately during a furnace outage. 

Tip Five: Use a furnace repair contractor who offers emergency repair options

No one can predict when a furnace failure will occur. Opting to utilize the services of a reputable HVAC contractor in your area who offers after-hours and emergency heating repairs can help homeowners deal with these unpleasant situations quickly so their family can remain safe and warm. 

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