Hello Winter! Is Your Home Ready?!
How often do you think about your furnace? I mostly think about my furnace when I am freezing and then it’s mostly just a how high can I turn it before DH yells at me. I’m luckier than most because I live in Southern California where I don’t have to worry about being buried in snow. Although! We did get snow in my area. Not enough that it stuck but it’s SNOW just the same!! In San Diego?! 
Having it be 38° during the day made me thankful that I get to stay indoors this weekend! Brrrrr!!
So, now that we are in the full blown “I Hate Winter” mode it’s really time to think about your heating system. The last thing you need to do is go stay with the in-laws because your furnace doesn’t work!
THE most important item in your home during the winter is an efficient heating system. Of course like just about everyone I know you worry about heating the house without breaking the bank. I want to be WARM. I also don’t want to give SDG&E my entire paycheck. Thankfully, DH is a fantastic handyman. He is great about changing filters and making sure that everything is working correctly. DH is also very good at realizing when it’s time to call in a professional like Halo Heating and Cooling.
We want to be certain that our furnace is as energy-efficient as possible and safe too! The best thing you can do is call a professional for that piece of mind. Halo Heating and Cooling does a 21 point system check. Including checking for leaks and unhealthy gases.
A few things that you can do for yourself to ensure a safer winter:
1. Don’t stack things in front of or around your furnace. I know this sounds like a no-brainer but make sure you aren’t storing anything flammable!!
2. Don’t stack things on top of your furnace.
3. A little late right now, but in the summer is the best time to stock up on filters. It’s good to have extra filters on hand.
Another important item to install in your home is a working carbon monoxide and radon detector! They are very important for everyone’s safety. Did you know that every year, more than 400 people die from carbon monoxide poisoning, this odorless, colorless gas, and even a non-lethal dose — which hospitalizes 4,000 people each year — can leave you feeling seriously ill, causing symptoms like dizziness, nausea, vomiting and chest pains.
I am impressed with HALO Heating and Cooling for several reasons. First, it’s hard to let a stranger into your home. HALO does background checks on all of their employees before they ever get to your home. Technicians are educated and trained to make sure your completely happy with their service.
Halo Heating & Cooling will exceed your expectations. Customers can expect neat and clean red carpet service AND a two-year workmanship warranties and a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee for the work we provide. We don’t use cheap parts, yet we still work to keep our service affordable.
31 Comments
Jesselyn A/Jesstinger
We have a two flat and recently replaced both furnaces (and seriously cleaned the basement!) are a very terrifying experience that some close friends went through last year: they bought an older house and the inspector had warned them that they would need to replace the furnace soon (in the next year or so. They were having a lot of work done on the house so they put a lot of their belonging in the basement and waited to unpack until after the work was done. Also ~ they had not yet installed smoke detectors AND their house caught fire and very nearly burned down to the ground (even though much of it was actually brick!)
So we REALLY saw first hand how dangerous it is not tp take case of these issues and have a check list like the one you’ve provided here ~ Thanks!
Sarah L
I got a new heater a couple of years ago to replace a 30 year old one. I have a programmable thermostat which is a good investment.
Michelle Tucker
I live in an apartment here in Colorado, and they rely on furnances. Let me tell you, these things do not do a lot of heating when it gets below 15 or so…and beware if it gets below 0 outside!!! Ugh. Make sure all vents have nothing around them a good 3-5 inches for good circulation. Ours run across whole walls (this makes trying to find a place for furniture a nightmare). We have a detector just in case, because even though we are in apartments, we are lucky and got one of the 4 plexes and we all share the furnace…there could always be a leak…you never know. Thanks for the great tips! 🙂
Estelle S
Good advice! My husband is also the thermostat police. We live in a 3 level townhouse, with the bottom floor being underground, and unfortunately, also my bedroom. It’s hard to keep a proper setting on the thermostat because it could be freezing in my room, but extremely warm in the kids’ rooms two floors above.
Sandra Watts
I just bought new detectors for my house, both carbon monoxide and smoke. I also have my furnace service every year.
Maryann D.
I do have carbon monoxide detectors on all floors of my home. I am glad that I do get my furnace checked out frequently. My house is so cold in the winter without proper heat.
polly
We are in Northern California and have been using the heat many times the last few weeks. My husband changes out the filters. Thanks for the information!
Denise E.
Oh, how I hate these long, cold mid-western winters! It really makes me want to move south….but then am I trading one liability for another one (like year-round bugs)?
Laura Harrison
We have a hot water type heat. When we moved in here, we had to tear it all aprt and pick out pieces of uncooked rice that the previous dweller let their children toss in it. A mess! I am glad we got it done and the heater runs smoothly now. Although we live in AZ, we have had to use our heater a LOT this winter. It’s been unusually chilly.
Susan P.
I’m glad I don’t have to worry about furnaces and cold and snow.
kaylin Bruce
It gets really cold where I live so I appreciate the preparation for the winter. However, we heat our home strictly with wood. We have a furnace, but we save a ton of money, by heating with wood only. Thank you!
Laura Fugate
My home is ready for winter. It’s a very new home for one thing, and the other thing is that my guy is very, very handy, so he takes care of all that stuff.
nicole king
I’m always ready for winter but I have never liked the cold. I hate freezing all the time…..BRRRRR baby it’s cold outside!
ellen beck
Well tonight here it is running -29 below, there is snow on the fround and likely school will be out again tomorrow. My furnace has been running non stop for 3 days now. I know next year we will be furnace hunting, this one is supposed to be eneergy efficient and is horrid.
Connie Gruning
Ellen I re-read this 3 times! -29?! Oh my gosh! I did an all over body shudder. Keep warm!
Natalie Brown
Snow in San Diego?! That’s like snow in Florida. lol We don’t use the heat too much here but the air conditioner gets a work-out. My apartment complex gives us a filter each month when we pay our rent. Nice! Thank-you for the tips!
Melissa Smith
Thank you for the tips! My home is not winter ready… still!
Carolyn Massey
Thanks for the info on furnaces. I think our thermostat needs to be recalibrated. It can be on 80 and only show it’s 70 in the house. Have gas heat and it’s warm when it’s on but doesn’t turn on like it should to keep us toasty. I also worry about carbon monoxide.
lukman nulhakiem
I put my concern on family safety. Carbon monoxide is the most deadliest gas inside our homes. It is a silent killer. No one can detect it. Only carbon monoxide detector do it well.
A dual power carbon monoxide detector is preferable. It is because it is very important to make sure carbon monoxide is running all the time even during power black out.
Sandy Cain
Great info! Unfortunately, I don’t live in a house – I live in an apartment building, with 290 apartments, and we are at the mercy of the cheap MFers who run this dump. For example, we were without cooking gas from September 17 to December 5, while they took their sweet time finding the lowest bidders to fix it. And when the lowest lowest bidders came along (HENRY MYERS PLUMBING – BEWARE, CONSUMERS!!!), they cracked & broke the stove putting it back into place. So, in general, am I ready for winter? Oh, HELL NO!
willis flanagan
A good furnace is a must here in north east ms. I like that halo heating and cooling have a two year warrenty.
Kelly
It is 4 degrees here with -20 degree windchill…like it or not Winter is here! Agreed, making sure the heater is in good working order is imperative.
Connie Gruning
Kelly, HOLY MOLY that’s cold!! I did an all over body shudder!! Stay warm!
Cynthia C
Last year a chipmunk somehow got into my furnace and fried the circuit box. Of course it stopped working on the coldest Sunday of the year. Some disasters can’t be avoided.
Rachel Beltz
It is a smart idea to stock up on filters during the summer; I’ll have to keep that in mind for 2015! I feel you though on the furnace sitting on my mind’s back burner… until I’m freezing and want it turned on!
Connie
I’m glad you reminded me about not stacking things around the furnace. I was doing very well until recently when I put something on the side of it. Time to remove it.
Alison Gibb
Great information! Fortuntely, I had a new heating system put in during this past summer. So, I am good to go!! It gets really cold here in Massachusetts!
Danielle fox
It’s so good to hear a good company review. Knowing they do background checks is a very good selling point to a mom like me.
Tamra Phelps
No, my home is not ready! We’ve lived here just over a year, & I know from last Winter that it is cold in here! There are apparently leaks around the windows or something! Time for some work!
Nancy C
Thanks for the tips and the reminder about the Carbon Monoxide monitor! Everyone should have one.
Michelle Gray
Always ready for winter but don’t always like it.