‘I’ve already had my heat on,’ Homeowners, companies prepare for freezing temperatures

GREENE COUNTY — With temperatures expected to drop below freezing Monday night, people are getting ready to turn on their furnaces for the season.

The issue some people are facing is whether or not their furnace will break.

While some people are choosing to wait till the first of November to turn the heat up, others may have to do it sooner.

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“I’m like a November first Heat girl so, but I probably will break tonight,” Demarus Crawford of Dayton said.

Others have already had their furnaces running.

“I’ve already had my heat on so I’m ready,” Dayton resident Allison Williams said.

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While people are getting ready for the cold, so are furnace companies.

Technicians at 5-Star Heating and Cooling told News Center 7′s Kayla McDermott they are ready for their phone to start ringing.

“We’ve had upwards of 2000 phone calls in just a matter of hours,” 5-Star Service Manager Marc McKinney said.

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Turning up thermostats can reveal problems that may cause the furnace to stop producing heat.

“Majority of the time it’s going to be something like a dirty filter, maybe a failed igniter or flame sensor that’s dirty,” McKinney said.

Technicians recommend that you get your furnaces checked to avoid any issues.

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“That’s why I run it now. So then I know that it’s working,” Williams said.

Many people have already checked, even if they are choosing to wait for Nov. 1.

“I tested it out a few days ago just to make sure we’re good,” Will Smith of Dayton said.

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But if people haven’t turned the furnace on since last season or haven’t checked it, there are still ways to avoid issues.

You can certainly make sure you have a fresh clean filter, inserted a dirty filter or lack of airflow does make a furnace overheat and it will shut off and not heat,” McKinney said.

Filters typically cost between $12 to $70 which is much less than what someone would have to pay for a broken furnace.

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