[January 30, 2014]

The Cold Continues: Be Sure Your Home is Prepared to Handle It

Across much of the country, it's been a cold winter and there are no signs of Mother Nature letting up soon. There's a lot of advice during cold snaps aimed at plumbing and avoiding frozen pipes, but Robert Mullins, instructor of Heating/Ventilation/Air Conditioning (HVAC) at Redstone College, has a few simple tips to help make sure your home stays heated and protected from cold weather mishaps.

1. Maintain Humidity Levels: During the colder months, it is important to remember correct humidity levels in your home are important for your health, the health of your family, and your pets. The colder the air temperature, the less moisture the air holds. Dry air can also cause wood furniture and fixtures to crack and be damaged. Having a humidifier in place and functioning is essential in any home. When using one, try to maintain a 35-50 percent humidity level at all times. A quality humidistat and humidifier are good invstments.

2. In a Power Outage, Wait it Out: Remember that if the power goes out, so will your heat. If you experience a power outage, use a cell phone to call the local utility company immediately and provide your address. This helps electricity providers trace the location of the problem, and hopefully speeds repairs. Never attempt to turn on the furnace or boiler by means other than the thermostat. If the system was functioning properly when the power went out, it should come back online correctly as soon as the power is restored. But, if the power comes on and heat is not restored immediately, call a qualified heating professional. Furnaces and boilers can be dangerous to untrained technicians, and even more so to the homeowner.

It is also important to note, if your heating system does go out, never attempt to heat your home using a stove or oven, which can be very dangerous and pose a serious fire hazard. Use blankets and warm clothing, or visit a friend or family member if necessary.

3. Preventative Maintenance - Before the Cold: Scheduling preventative maintenance service on your heating system once a year will help ensure your heating system is functioning correctly. Try scheduling these services before the cold weather arrives. Preventative maintenance can and should save you money. In fact, many expensive service calls can be avoided by regularly changing the air filter on forced air heating systems (furnaces). Be sure to know your filter size and the type that best suits your needs, and change it every three months.

When choosing a company to service the heating and cooling systems in your home, do your homework. Be sure to ask questions about rates, service contracts and preventative maintenance costs before your system fails or stops working. Use online sources to research and check a company's history and reputation before committing to working with it.

About Redstone College

Founded in 1965 and located in Broomfield, near Denver, Colo., Redstone College offers a variety of technical degree programs including Airframe and Powerplant (A&P), Advanced Electronics Technology (Avionics), Heating/Ventilation/Air Conditioning (HVAC) and Wind Energy Technology (Wind Turbine). Redstone College programs are highly integrated to ensure students receive training from instructors who have industry experience. Students benefit from a hands-on education, industry networking opportunities, certification preparation, tuition-free alumni retraining* and more. Since the training school was founded, more than 10,000 students have graduated from the diploma and degree programs. For more information on Redstone College, visit www.Redstone.edu.

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