Extreme Weather Conditions And Your HVAC System

In the coming days, HVAC systems throughout the Midwest will experience weather conditions which are outside of what local residential HVAC systems were designed for. Most systems will not be able to maintain the desired temperature.   Typically, residential HVAC equipment for the Quad City area is sized for roughly -3 degrees. The weather this week is being forecasted with lows as far down as -32 degrees (and in some instances highs of -14 degrees), not including windchill.

Here are a few precautions you can take to help minimize the effects of the extreme cold we will experience.

  • Raise the current setting on the thermostat now before the extremely low temperatures take effect.  Set the thermostat for a few degrees higher than what you’d typically have it set at.
  • Remove the setback feature on programmable thermostats by pressing the “Hold” feature.
  • Ensure the filter is relatively clean to allow the furnace to operate at a high performance.  The increased restriction of a dirty filter reduces the amount of airflow a furnace can supply.
  • Reduce opening exterior openings to reduce losing heat.  Try to keep the garage doors closed as much as possible.
  • Make sure air vents and radiators are not blocked to maximize the path for heat to spaces.
  • If a house has a 90% boiler or furnace, check on the vent to ensure ice doesn’t form and block the intake vent to outside, which will cause the furnace or boiler to trip out.
  • With the large amounts of snow we’ve experienced, check to make sure the furnace flue is not blocked by snow, allowing the products of combustion to be expelled to outside.  A blocked flue can also cause carbon monoxide issues within a home.
  • Temperatures within the home may drop in temperature and the system may not be able to maintain the setpoint.  If the HVAC system is operating and supplying warm air, but still not able to maintain temperatures, do not panic.  The system is operating correctly and is just simply not able to keep up with the heat loss of the building.

Should you experience heating issues and your heating system stops operating, please contact Schebler Company for assistance here.