With balmy summers and generally mild winters, Galt is the place to be for anyone who loathes the cold. However, despite the city’s gentle climate, you’ll still have to put up with the occasional chilly night every now and then. How can you stay cozy if your furnace has given up the ghost? Maybe you’ve called an HVAC company for repairs, but they can’t come to help you for a couple of days or more. Below, learn how to keep the house warm in the meantime, then call Airmech Heating and Air Conditioning for emergency furnace repair in Galt, CA.
1. Wear Layers of Warm Clothing
People who live in colder climates know the importance of dressing in layers when they head outdoors. You can use the same trick to keep warm when your furnace kicks the bucket in winter.
Layering clothing works so well because it traps warmth against your body. Rifle through your closet and find your warmest garments, including coats, sweaters, sweatshirts, thick pants, and socks. Continue layering clothing until you’re nice and warm.
2. Keep Your Family Together
What family couldn’t benefit from a little extra bonding time? Keeping your family together in one room is an excellent way to stay warm when your furnace quits working.
When choosing a “base camp” for your family, select a room with enough space for everyone to move around comfortably. If your living room has a fireplace, that’s a great pick. Stock the room with blankets, hot beverages, and snacks, then cozy up while you wait for the heater and furnace repair crew to arrive.
3. Run Space Heaters in the Most-Used Rooms
Space heaters are relatively cheap and can warm an average-sized room by a few degrees in minutes. Place a space heater in the rooms your family uses most, such as the living room, kitchen, bedrooms, and bathrooms. If you’re worried about safety, buy space heaters with an automatic shutoff function and always keep them clear of curtains, bedding, and furniture.
4. Closing Unused Rooms in Your Home Is a Smart Move
If you’ve followed the above advice and gathered your family in a central room, close the doors to any unused rooms. For example, close the bathroom door when you’re not in there. If you have an attic and/or a basement, it’s especially important to close those off.
Your basement is full of cold air, which you definitely don’t want wafting up to your living area. And warm air rises, so by keeping your attic closed off, what warmth remains in your home stays where you need it instead of drifting up to the rafters.
5. Sealing Drafts Works Wonders at Keeping the Cold Away
You might be shocked to learn just how much heat escapes your home through cracks in the windows and doors. Even the tiniest crack can turn your home into an icebox. This is why maintenance experts recommend sealing gaps in window panes with caulk before winter arrives. If you have single-pane windows, consider replacing them with double-pane glass, which does a much better job of retaining heat.
If your furnace has broken down and it’s too late to make these improvements, you’re not entirely out of luck. Cover windows with bedsheets and stuff towels in any cracks to keep the cold at bay.
Homes near the Galt Market area and along the Highway 99 corridor tend to feel drafts the fastest once a furnace goes down, especially in older construction, which makes the condition of the ductwork worth a look, too. Our ductwork repair and replacement service can confirm heat isn’t escaping before it ever reaches your living room.
6. Warm Up With Cooking and Hot Food
Your family still needs to eat while waiting for furnace repair, and cooking a warm meal adds a bit of ambient heat to the kitchen along the way. Soups, stews, and anything that simmers on the stovetop for a while will do double duty, filling the house with warmth while dinner comes together. Pair it with hot drinks like tea, cocoa, or cider to help everyone warm up from the inside out.
One important safety note: don’t use your oven with the door open as a substitute heater, and never run a gas appliance for heat without proper ventilation. This can create a carbon monoxide risk and, with an open oven door, a burn or fire hazard, especially with kids or pets in the house. Space heaters and layered clothing are a safer way to fill the gap until your furnace is back up and running.
A furnace that’s showing its age is more likely to leave you in the cold at the worst possible moment. Once the heat is back on, our furnace and heater maintenance service catches wear and tear before it turns into another full breakdown.
Stay Warm with Airmech
Now that you’ve read these tips on how to keep your house warm when the furnace breaks down, Airmech Heating & Air Conditioning is ready to help with fast service, upfront pricing, and top-notch furnace repairs, plus a second opinion on any heating repair. Contact our team today for furnace repair in Galt, CA.