Planning for the Worst: What to Do When Your Furnace Breaks Down
This is the nightmare that no Minnesotan wants to deal with: a furnace that abruptly stops working in the middle of the winter. We don’t have “mild” winter days! Any winter day is cold enough that heating systems need to be up and running. And when a heater fails, it’s a big emergency!
We’re here to help with what you can do in the case of a furnace conking out on you during our tough winters. Below are steps to take and things you can do to whether this worrisome period.
- Leave the house if you smell natural gas: Safety is your #1 concern, and a broken furnace may potentially be leaking natural gas. Natural gas suppliers add a particular scent into the gas (called mercaptan) to make it easier to detect. A rotten-egg smell will tell you that everyone should leave the house right away and call local service.
- Find alternate heating: Okay, so everyone in the household is safe for the moment. Start up the fireplace if you have one, bring out the space heaters, gather everybody in one part of the house. Or you may arrange to stay elsewhere until the problem is fixed.
- Make simple furnace checks: Look over the thermostat to see that it’s set correctly. If the furnace runs from a pilot light, check that it’s lit. See if there’s a tripped circuit breaker (gas furnaces require electrical power to run as well). If none of this solves the issue, do not attempt to do anything further on your own, as it could risk your safety and will probably damage the furnace further.
- Call our repair technicians: We are here to help—that’s our job, after all. Broken furnaces are something we know all about, and we’ll be out quickly to resolve the problem and restore your family’s valuable heat.
Aquarius Home Services offers excellent heating services in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
