Have you lost heat in your Franklin County, or Central Ohio home?
At Westerville Air Conditioning & Heating, our vision is to assist as many homeowners as possible in our community by offering the most superior home heating and cooling systems and services available in the industry at prices our competitors are unable to beat.
Having been in this business many years, we have seen many times how quickly and easily an unexpected winter storm can knock out a customer’s power leaving them without heat in the freezing cold.
Whenever this happens, we recommend the following steps to stay warm and safe until things are restored back to the way they were before.
Steps We Suggest Taking When the Heat Goes Out
Things To Do:
- If the weather is cold outside and your heat has gone out because you’ve lost power, the first thing you should do is contact your power company to report the loss of service. Even if a neighbor has called already, you should still call because most of these companies respond first to the areas where they receive more calls.
- If you have prepared for these situations and you have a gas-powered generator, you’re in luck. This is obviously a really good time to use it. Just be sure to follow all the safety guidelines and use it to power the most essential items first — like your space heaters. Remember, whenever it comes to using a gas powered generator, they aren’t safe to run inside or close to open windows where the exhaust fumes can get into the home’s air supply.
- Use space heaters safely. Space heaters should be firmly planted on level flooring with a safe distance around them, keeping away anything that might be flammable like cardboard, paper, chemicals, fuel, furniture, boxes and drapes. Also, use a single outlet for space heaters as they can get hot and use a lot of power. When you’re leaving or you aren’t going to need them, make sure to turn them off.
- If you have kids in the home, make sure they understand that space heaters can be dangerous and need to be left alone.
- Bundle up, wearing extra clothing as necessary. Experts suggest dressing in layers — layering up when it’s cold and layering down when you’re feeling warm. Thermals, gloves, hats, scarves and extra socks will come in handy!
- If you have a working fireplace or wood-burning, you might be in luck. As long as you know it’s safe to use, this is a good opportunity to use it. Make sure the flue is open and the chimney is clear of excess creosote before lighting a fire.
- If you’ve lost heat and the cause isn’t from the power going out, call us as soon as possible. We would be more than happy to send someone promptly to get you back into comfort right away.
Things You Don’t Do
- Sometimes, when people lose heat during the cold months, they are tempted to try to improvise in a way that may put safety on the line. In times like these, we urge homeowners to keep safety first and never use something for heat if it wasn’t intended to be used in that way — such as grills or ovens for heat. Not only is it hard on the appliance, it’s not safe as well. Using improvised methods like these create fire hazards and it can release dangerous gases and fumes into the home.
- While your power is out, avoid opening freezers and refrigerators as much as possible. This will help keep the last bit of cold air inside it, rather than letting it out into your home, and it should also help you prevent foods from spoiling as long as possible.
- Avoid getting wet as much as possible, when your power is out and you’re without heat. If you get wet and it’s cold in your home, it will take longer to get warm. Plus who knows how long you’re going to have to wait until you’re able to use your washer and dryer.
Furnace problems? Call us right away!
If you’ve lost heat or your furnace isn’t keeping up with the cold weather this winter — or if you need a local, reputable HVAC technician to look at your heating equipment when the power is restored — call Westerville Air Conditioning & Heating today at 614-810-0075, or schedule an appointment now by clicking here!
