At Fairfield-Hamilton Heating & Cooling, we make it our mission to help our fellow community members get the best home heating systems and local HVAC services in the market at prices you can’t find anywhere else, with fast and easy financing.
We have been in the furnace and air conditioning industry for a long time, and over the years our certified HVAC technicians have become acutely aware of how easily an unexpected winter storm can knock out a customer’s power leaving them without heat in the freezing cold.
If this has happened to you in your home, we suggest taking the following steps to stay as warm and as safe as possible until things are restored to normal.
Steps We Suggest Taking When the Heat Goes Out
Things To Do:
- First thing’ first: Call your power company immediately to report the loss of electricity, even if someone else has already called. For one, you might not know for sure if the person actually called and they called the correct the right number. For two, many power companies first respond to the areas where they receive the most calls. The old saying goes “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.” This does not suggest, however, calling multiple times.
- If you have a generator, use it if necessary. However, use it wisely. It’s best to only restore the more basic and essential appliances. This could very well mean space heaters and anything else you deem important. In the meantime, strictly follow the generator’s safety guidelines. This includes never running it inside or near any open windows where exhaust or fumes would be able to get inside. If you don’t own a backup generator, an emergency situation like this might make you reconsider investing in one.
- Be selective and strategic as to where you place your space heaters, exercising caution. Make sure they’re firmly planted on level flooring. Make sure you have a safe distance around them, keeping things away that are flammable such as chemicals, fuels, boxes, papers, boxes, curtains and drapes. Also, make sure to turn off your heaters if you’re leaving or if you don’t expect to be needing it.
- If you have kids in the home, make sure they fully understand they should never mess with the space heaters or play around them.
- Use as much extra clothing as possible, remembering to layer up and layer down as needed. Gather thermals, hats, gloves, scarves and extra socks.
- If you have a working gas stove, gas heater, wood-burning stove or wood fireplace, consider using it. Just make sure the flue is open and the chimney is clear of excess creosote before lighting a fire. Moreover, play it as safe as possible and only use it when you’re home and can keep an eye on it.
- Contact us immediately if your loss of heat is not related to a power outage as we would love to get you back into comfort right away.
Things You Don’t Do
- When it’s cold outside and the heat goes out, it might be tempting for some to improvise in a way that might put safety on the line. In times like these, we urge homeowners to put safety first and never use something to heat your home that isn’t wise. This includes trying to use household appliances like grills for heat. The same is true as far as using ovens. Taking steps like this not only creates a fire hazard, but it can also release dangerous gases and fumes inside.
- If the power is out, it’s a good idea to avoid opening your freezer and refrigerator as much as possible to keep the last bit of cold air inside, instead letting it out into your home as the heat is slipping away. Moreover, it’s a smart move to keep the cold air inside of these to try to prevent food from spoiling as long as possible.
- If you’ve lost heat, avoid getting wet as much as possible. If you get wet, it’s going to complicate things and take longer to get warm. Plus who knows how long you’re going to go until you can use your washer and dryer.
Call us right away if your heat is out and it’s not because of power outage!
If you’ve lost heat and you still have power, or if you are looking for a trusted, trained, local professional furnace technician to look at your heating equipment when the power is restored, call Fairfield-Hamilton Heating & Cooling today at 513-540-1716, or click here to schedule an appointment now!
