If you’ve lived in DuPage County for some time, then you already know how cold the winters can get here. As a result, you’ll lean heavily on your home’s furnace for comfort. Unfortunately, a sudden cold snap can affect your furnace in ways you might not expect. It can alter your furnace’s performance characteristics and put it under severe strain. Here’s everything you need to know about how a cold snap can affect the furnace in your DuPage County home.
What Happens To Your Furnace During a DuPage County Cold Snap
When the weather turns cold here in DuPage County, your furnace may start to show signs of trouble. At temperatures around the freezing point, your furnace should cycle on and off roughly three times per hour, assuming it is the right size for your home. It should also operate about as efficiently as its rating suggests. However, as outdoor temperatures drop, your furnace’s runtime increases. Eventually, it will reach the point where your furnace must run nonstop to meet your heating needs.
It’s important to know, however, that it isn’t ideal for your furnace to run nonstop. When it does, it will suffer accelerated wear and tear. Plus, there’s another thing to consider. If your home isn’t particularly well air-sealed, wind chill can have an outsized effect on your furnace, too. When the wind picks up, outdoor temperatures can feel closer to -20°F. In those conditions, your furnace, which otherwise meets your heating needs, may struggle.
How Cold Is Too Cold for a Furnace To Work Efficiently?
Here, in this part of the country, HVAC installers size heating systems with particular weather conditions in mind. They refer to temperature tables compiled by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers. The tables consider the prior 30 years of temperatures to list the rock-bottom low temperature for each area. That temperature, called the 99% heating value, represents a low temperature that the area should stay above more than 99% of the time. In other words, it’s a temperature that the furnace in your home should be able to handle at its maximum output. Here in DuPage County, that temperature is -3°F. In those conditions, your furnace should be able to keep your home at 70°F, but it may run constantly to do it.
At the same time, your furnace will shed quite a bit of efficiency in those conditions. For example, it wouldn’t be unusual for a high-efficiency 95 AFUE furnace to behave more like an 85 AFUE furnace. That may not seem like a big change, but it can have a major impact on your heating bills. Older and undersized furnaces will suffer more pronounced efficiency losses in extreme cold. You’ll also notice similar effects on your home’s gas water heater, whose heating element also depends on combustion to work.
Common Signs Your Furnace Is Stressed by Extreme Cold
There are some telltale signs you can watch for to tell when the extreme cold is affecting your furnace. As temperatures drop, your furnace may start short-cycling. That indicates it’s struggling to keep your home at your desired temperature. At some point, it may run nonstop but never reach your set temperature. You may also notice cold spots in your home along with high gas bills.
The longer your furnace remains under stress, the greater the odds of a malfunction. Be especially alert for any strange sounds or smells coming from your furnace. Those can indicate a component failure that could become a safety issue. Some problems to watch for include frequent furnace resets and error codes. Your furnace’s burner flames may also turn yellow, indicating incomplete combustion. If your home’s carbon monoxide alarms start going off, evacuate your home and contact us immediately.
How to Keep Your Furnace Running in Extreme Cold
The good news is that there are some things you can do to avert furnace problems in extreme cold. First, you should prepare it for the weather by replacing its air filter and opening or unblocking all your home’s vents. That ensures proper airflow through your furnace and home. You should also keep your home’s interior doors open to promote proper air circulation. It’s also a good idea to schedule a furnace tune-up before any frigid weather arrives. That ensures your furnace will operate optimally. We even offer convenient HVAC maintenance contracts to make the process easy.
Another way you can aid your furnace is by improving your home’s air seal. To do it, install weatherstripping around windows and exterior doors. If you spot any obvious gaps, use caulk to seal them. That can help keep drafts out, reducing the load on your furnace. You can also lower your thermostat by a few degrees to help things along. Setting your thermostat to 67°F rather than 70°F can be the difference between a short-cycling furnace and one that keeps operating well.
Is 72°F Too High for Heat in Winter?
The sizing requirements for furnaces in our area call for them to be capable of maintaining 70°F temperatures down to the 99% heating value. Therefore, setting your thermostat to 72°F isn’t ideal, even in the best of circumstances. Additionally, in extreme cold, even keeping your thermostat set to 70°F isn’t a great idea. Your best bet is to pay attention to your furnace. If it starts showing signs of struggling, lowering your thermostat may help.
When To Call a DuPage County Furnace Expert
If your furnace is not keeping up in the winter, you shouldn’t ignore it. Otherwise, your furnace could fail during a cold snap, creating a heating emergency. Instead, contact us for a furnace inspection, followed by repairs, if necessary. Or, you could explore your options for a heating system replacement in Elmhurst and DuPage County to ensure you have reliable heat. We can also offer a quality water heater installation if yours is struggling in the cold.
At the end of the day, it’s important to realize that extreme cold poses challenges for every furnace, new or old. However, if you use high-quality furnace filters and keep up with regular maintenance, you can typically avoid problems. The same applies to scheduling immediate repairs when you spot a problem. That can help avert breakdowns and extend your furnace’s lifespan. So, for your furnace’s sake, you should schedule furnace service before the next deep freeze arrives. We’re available to assist homeowners throughout our DuPage County service area with furnace maintenance, repairs and replacements.
Frequently Asked Questions
As the local furnace leader in DuPage County, we answer homeowners’ questions daily. Here are some frequently asked questions and their answers.
The furnace in your DuPage County home should provide enough heat at temperatures as low as -3°F. However, high winds can create wind chill, placing additional strain on your furnace. Additionally, if your furnace isn’t large enough for your home, you may experience cold snap furnace issues.
The best way to keep your furnace running in extreme cold weather is to see to its regular maintenance. That ensures your furnace always performs up to its specifications. You should also do everything you can to improve your home’s air seal to keep cold air out.
Leaving your thermostat set to 72°F all winter will place an unnecessary strain on your furnace. Your furnace’s ideal set point is 70°F in ordinary winter conditions. In extreme cold, lowering your thermostat a few degrees can help your furnace withstand the strain placed on it.
