How to Maintain Your Furnace During Extreme Cold

We will be experiencing extremely cold temperatures in the Madison, Wisconsin, area. Your home heating equipment temperature design requirements for our area are minus 15 degrees below zero. It’s important to know because if the temperatures outside our home fall below minus 15 degrees, it impacts your furnace.

In these conditions, it’s normal for any furnace to continually run to keep up. For example, if you set your thermostat to 70 degrees, your home temperature may stay at 68 degrees until the outside temperature normalizes. We suggest setting your thermostat up a few degrees ahead of predicted cold temperatures so that when the extreme cold temperatures continue, your furnace will keep in-home temperatures closer to the temperatures you’re used to. So, for example, if you always keep your temperature set at 70 degrees and you know we will be experiencing extreme cold temperatures in a few days, set your thermostat to 72 degrees.

Here are some things you can do to maintain your furnace right now:

• Keep outside vents clear.
• Make sure your filter is clean. If not, replace.
• Replace thermostat batteries.
• Annual furnace maintenance.
• Do not set back your thermostat. Keep your thermostat at a consistent setting until it warms up.

Other Safety Tips:

• While clearing your vents, it’s a good safety practice to clear your utility meter and fire hydrant.
• If your water heater is not working properly, check the outtake and clear any snow blocking it. If your water heat is over 10 years old and leaking, it may need to be replaced. We can provide water heaters and water softeners and install them.
• If you smell gas in your home, contact your utility provider. Learn more from Alliant Energy.
• Visit our emergency services page for more information.

Schedule your HVAC tune-up with our Madison, WI technicians. Call (608) 838-7300 or contact us online for service today.

Eric Sherwood( HVAC Service Manager )

HVAC Service Manager Eric has over 25 years of industry experience and relocated from Vermont to be near his grandchildren.
He’s been married for 25 years. He enjoys spending time with grandkids, traveling, camping, hiking, fishing, hunting trying new restaurants.
His biggest hobby is remodeling houses, and his favorite dog is Australian Shepard- his current dog is an Aussie Doodle.