Help your furnace in cold weather

[Lamb]

A good part of the US is experiencing extreme cold temperatures this week. Here are some tips to help your furnace cope!

* Keep your filter clean (or even remove it all together for the very extreme cold days)

* Don't close any vents in your house. Normally people think that closing vents in one room will help heat others but the modern furnace wasn't designed that way.

* Your indoor temps might drop as the furnace tries to keep up and that's okay.

* If you have the thermostat set to a very low temp while away at work or sleeping, don't let it do that during the extreme cold days. It will be harder for the furnace to try to reach the normal temps when you return.

* Don't have anything blocking the registers or returns like furniture, plants, boxes, etc...

 

[Wilhemena]

These are good tips and may I add that everyone should own a working carbon monoxide detector, changing batteries two times a year.

 

[tango]

I read an article written by a heating guy who said he expected a lot of calls from people saying their furnace wasn't working, when in fact it was working just fine. As the article said, if the furnace was designed to be able to maintain 70 degrees inside when it's 0 outside, if it drops to -25 outside you shouldn't be surprised if the furnace is running flat out and still the temperature is slowly falling inside. It also said that in extreme cold weather it's inadvisable to turn the heat down a couple of degrees at night because the house will drop to the new temperature quickly and the furnace is unlikely to be able to get those couple of degrees back during the extreme cold.

 

[Lamb]

I read an article written by a heating guy who said he expected a lot of calls from people saying their furnace wasn't working, when in fact it was working just fine. As the article said, if the furnace was designed to be able to maintain 70 degrees inside when it's 0 outside, if it drops to -25 outside you shouldn't be surprised if the furnace is running flat out and still the temperature is slowly falling inside. It also said that in extreme cold weather it's inadvisable to turn the heat down a couple of degrees at night because the house will drop to the new temperature quickly and the furnace is unlikely to be able to get those couple of degrees back during the extreme cold.

I read a similar article today! Maybe it was even the same one! That's kind of what prompted me to make this thread.

 

[Ruth]

I have done all the things mentioned above already; I think it's just common sense, granted, not everyone has it.

I have my furnace on 75, my space heater on 75. I also have my thick robe on.

 

[Lamb]

I have done all the things mentioned above already; I think it's just common sense, granted, not everyone has it.

I have my furnace on 75, my space heater on 75. I also have my thick robe on.

We keep our furnace set to 65F. When it's below 40s outside I like to keep the blowers to On instead of Auto except at night because it gets too warm upstairs.

 

[tango]

I have done all the things mentioned above already; I think it's just common sense, granted, not everyone has it.

I have my furnace on 75, my space heater on 75. I also have my thick robe on.

75 is way too warm for my liking, our heat is usually set to around 65, dropping back to 62-63 at night. For me 75 degrees would have me in shorts and a T-shirt.

 

[Lamb]

75 is way too warm for my liking, our heat is usually set to around 65, dropping back to 62-63 at night. For me 75 degrees would have me in shorts and a T-shirt.

I was thinking that her thermostat could be adjusted differently than ours? When we got a new thermostat it was different from our old one by 4 degrees.

 

[tango]

I was thinking that her thermostat could be adjusted differently than ours? When we got a new thermostat it was different from our old one by 4 degrees.

Or she just likes it much warmer than I do. I once stayed in a relative's house and they had the heat set to 74 but when I was watching the house myself (while they were away for a few days) I set it to 65. My first thought on walking in when it was set to 74 was that I was all but gasping for breath because it was so warm and dry. Their first response walking in at 65 was to say how cold it was and turn up the heat.

 

[Lamb]

Or she just likes it much warmer than I do. I once stayed in a relative's house and they had the heat set to 74 but when I was watching the house myself (while they were away for a few days) I set it to 65. My first thought on walking in when it was set to 74 was that I was all but gasping for breath because it was so warm and dry. Their first response walking in at 65 was to say how cold it was and turn up the heat.

We all have different body temps so you're right that it could be that. I get cold easily and my husband gets hot easily. Being in the car together is a struggle since we don't have separate temp controls for heating/cooling. My friend had that in her van and it was heaven! LOL

 

[Josiah]

IMO, we should not live where we need heaters or air conditioners.

Hawaii. Along the coast. Homes have neither, just windows that open. I think that's what God had in mind. The Garden of Eden likely didn't have heaters or A/C. Why, Adam and Eve didn't even need clothes.\

Just saying...




.

 

[Lamb]

IMO, we should not live where we need heaters or air conditioners.

Hawaii. Along the coast. Homes have neither, just windows that open. I think that's what God had in mind. The Garden of Eden likely didn't have heaters or A/C. Why, Adam and Eve didn't even need clothes.\

Just saying...




.

I don't think the world can hold us all at that same line on the globe to have perfect weather year round

 

[tango]

We all have different body temps so you're right that it could be that. I get cold easily and my husband gets hot easily. Being in the car together is a struggle since we don't have separate temp controls for heating/cooling. My friend had that in her van and it was heaven! LOL

I've been on many a long drive with my wife where she ended up practically buried under blankets and things. She prefers a warmer temperature to me. When I'm on a long drive I set the temperature extra cold to help me stay alert. She really struggles with that kind of temperature but figures it beats me getting drowsy.

 

[Josiah]

I don't think the world can hold us all at that same line on the globe to have perfect weather year round

Sad.

 

[tango]

Sad.

Not necessarily. You mentioned Adam and Eve didn't even need clothes. I strongly suspect that if you ever saw me without my clothes you'd be thankful I live somewhere cool enough that I do need them