During fall and winter, your home’s furnace is one of the most important pieces of equipment in your house. Unfortunately, when temperatures drop very low, furnaces can freeze, which can lead to your furnace failing to work when you need it most and leave you on the hook for an expensive repair bill to boot.
Many homeowners don’t know what to do when their furnace freezes, which is why in this blog post, we are sharing some tips that may be able to help you keep your furnace from freezing when cold weather strikes.
Tips for Keeping Your Home’s Furnace from Freezing
Keeping your home’s furnace from freezing is an essential part of keeping it running smoothly. If your furnace stops running smoothly, it can result in expensive repairs, or you may even have to replace it. Here are a few tips to help you prevent your home’s furnace from freezing during the fall and winter months:
- Keep the House Warm: The best way of keeping your furnace from freezing is to make sure the house is warm enough. Check your thermostat and turn your heating up to 68 degrees or above. Turning up the thermostat will keep your furnace active, which can help prevent it from freezing. You should also insulate your home’s doors and windows and keep them closed as much as possible. This will help keep warm air in your home and prevent cold air from coming in.
- Maintain the furnace: Regular furnace maintenance plays a major role in keeping your furnace running properly and preventing it from freezing. Your furnace should be inspected, cleaned, and serviced by a professional at least once a year. During the inspection, the technician should check the components of your heating system and ensure that everything is functioning correctly. Replacing the filter is another essential task because it helps the furnace run efficiently and effectively.
- Keep the furnace room insulated: Insulate the furnace room as much as possible to prevent the cold air from settling in. Keep the doors and windows closed, especially on really cold days. Make sure that all the piping, ductwork, and equipment in the room are adequately insulated. You can use pipe insulation, jacket insulation, or heat tape to wrap the exposed pipes. This will help to prevent any water from freezing inside and causing damage to the heating system.
- Keep your home connected: Connect your home to a smart thermostat, which will allow you to control your heating system remotely. Smart thermostats can send you notifications when the temperatures get below freezing. This will alert you to take any necessary actions to prevent your furnace from freezing over. Also, make sure that you have access to your home’s heating system through a phone app, which will allow you to control your home’s temperature remotely.
- Keep water from freezing: Make sure that the water tank is correctly insulated, and any exposed pipes have heat tape on them so that the water does not freeze. If the water freezes, it can cause problems with your heating system and even push sediment into your furnace. In addition, be sure to keep an eye on the level of propane or oil in your tank, so that you do not run out of propane or oil and expose your pipes to freezing water.
To learn more about furnace maintenance and repair, or to discuss your situation with our furnace technicians at Meyer’s, give us a call at (219) 240-0610 or contact us online today.