Furnace repair crews getting a boost in business during bitter cold snap
CBC
Some furnaces, pushed to their limits by days of extremely cold temperatures gripping Alberta, are refusing to choke to life, leaving homeowners to rely on tiny electric heaters to stave off the cold.
A blast of Arctic air plunged the province into a deep freeze over the holiday weekend and the stubborn mass of low pressure refuses to budge.
Keven Lackey, who owns Acclaimed Heating Cooling and Furnace Cleaning in Edmonton, said his crews are working overtime this week to meet a surging demand for furnace repairs.
"The phones are hopping, all of our guys are hopping, everyone is chipping in where they can," Lackey told CBC News.
He said his business has been fielding more than 100 calls a day since the deep freeze took hold and "it's all hands on deck" to ensure the most urgent repairs are dealt with.
"I think we have issued about 200 space heaters [for] people that don't have heat and are waiting for parts that are sometimes hard to come by these days."
Homeowners should regularly check their exterior vents to ensure they are not blocked by frost, and replace their furnace filters, Lackey said.
Regular maintenance can help prevent cold-snap problems before they start, he said.
Lackey also recommends people invest in a few space heaters to keep on hand as an emergency heat supply if their furnace quits.
While curling around one for days on end isn't ideal, it's better than watching your pipes freeze, Lackey said.
He said most homes need at least five of them, strategically placed, to do the job while the furnace is out.
"Space heaters, space heaters, space heaters," he said. "They are really advantageous to have there on a rainy day."
As of Wednesday morning, the entire province is once again under an extreme cold warning and Albertans are advised to stay inside or risk frostbite within minutes.
Extremely cold wind chill values between –40 and –45 will continue Wednesday morning throughout Alberta, Environment Canada said.
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