ROSLINDALE, Mass. — As freezing air creeps closer to New England, heating companies are running around the Boston-area to make sure their customers are ready for the weekend storm.
Akian Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, and Electric was working on a home in Roslindale on Thursday. They were switching their oil-burning furnace heating to a heat pump that runs on electricity.
Boston 25 news reporter Daniel Coates spoke with their owner, Stephen Akian, at the job site.
“As the temperature drops, the number of calls coming in just increases and increases,” he said. “It’s going to be a lot of frozen pipes, no heat, things of that nature, unfortunately.”
Akian said even if your heating system is running smoothly or brand new, there are some things you should do now to safeguard it from freezing temperatures.
He explained, “Testing their thermostats, making sure that they’re operating, calling if there are any funny sounds their system’s making, replacing the filter’s a big one.”
It’s also important to assess the exterior of your home that could let in cold air.
“Just making sure any gaps or cracks around the home is filled in with silicone or an expansion foam,” he added. “Weather stripping around the door is huge.”
Akian said those small steps can keep your home warm and keep your utility bills low.
Bursting pipes are also a huge concern for homeowners and heating companies this weekend.
Akian continued, “If you open the door to your basement even just for a few seconds, it could be enough for a wind chill to come in and freeze pipes... If your pipes are frozen, you should just shut your water main off.”
It’s also a bad idea to keep your faucet running to avoid frozen pipes, Akian said.
“That will lead to a frozen drain a lot of times, which is going to cause other issues,” he said. “So, the best thing to do is keep the heat above 70.”
He also advised homeowners to keep carbon monoxide detectors on every living floor of your home, and a backup generator on hand in the case of an emergency.
Akian finished, “Test it now. Test it today before you need it this weekend... Just be prepared, that’s all.”
He told Boston 25 that if your heating system fails this weekend, you should shut off your water to protect your pipes and then call an expert.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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