Furnaces in Saskatchewan feeling the wrath of winter

As Saskatchewan continues to deal with a brutal deep freeze, furnaces are working overtime just to keep up.

And this cold spell might be starting to take a toll on the machinery, according to Luke East, the manager of Reliance MacKenzie Heating, Air Conditioning and Plumbing.

“The most common way people find out their furnace isn’t working properly in this weather is when you’re sitting on your couch and your feet start getting cold,” East said. “Then you get up, you check out the thermostat and you’ll see that it’s down a few degrees. At that point, it’s time to start investigating before letting it get too cold.

“A lot of people don’t realize how much your furnace is operating — it’s running more than your car. It’s coming on and off a lot throughout the day and throughout the night. So just like you take care of your car by going to get that oil change, it’s important to make sure your furnace is maintained as well.”

East said he and his co-workers have been going non-stop this month as people’s furnaces have been getting pushed to the limit, causing an abundance of issues in the process.

High-efficiency furnaces typically have pipes that reach outside, with moisture travelling through them. The colder it is, the more likely it is that the condensation will start to freeze into ice.

“The piping is levelled so that the condensation drips back into the furnace and drains out. But sometimes if it’s facing the wind, you can get ice and frost starting to build up on those vents,” East said.

“Then when they start to restrict, you know the furnace isn’t going to get enough air. And it’ll turn off because it’s not getting enough oxygen, or it’s not able to push out the carbon monoxide, causing the safety feature to open instead and protect the furnace from backing up.

“The last thing you want is your house freezing and your pipes eventually bursting when that heat comes back on.”

East recommends checking the outside of your house for blockages, making sure there isn’t any ice or snow that is restricting airflow from coming out of your home.

He also recommends checking your furnace filters to see if they’re plugged.

“If that filter is plugged and it’s not getting enough airflow through, with how constant the furnace has to run in the cold, winter months, it can easily overheat,” he said.

“Preventative maintenance is the most important thing.”