People chuckle when I tell them that it’s cold here.  At first they are concerned … then they ask…

“Well, how cold is it?”

When I reply 40 degrees the sympathy I once received flies out the window.  That being said, this article is focused on the people in mild climates like Silicon Valley, people from other areas, try to keep the laughter down to a dull roar so we can talk about how cold we get here, yes we’re serious.

We (you and I ) are legitamitely cold at 50 degree (F) days and it is nearly unbearable at a 40 or a 30 degree day.  We are not prepared for cold days with our typical short sleeved clothes and light jackets. In fact, unless you go to a ski shop it can be hard to even buy a warm winter cost for those cold days here in Silicon Valley.

For those of us living in milder climates we know we are more sensitive to temperature changes than people from areas.  It’s times like this you really need a tempologist on your side.

A tempologist is a professional that works with temperature and in this case comfort temperature, technology and energy efficiency to choose the best solutions for you.

Those cold winter days are on their way back, I’m sure you remember them – winter is coming.

Photo courtesy of: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Luckily although we occasionally get freezing temperatures, they usually end up being for short periods of time usually at night.  So the good news is that the threat of freezing pipes is minimal, but the reality of discomfort is high when you have insufficient or ineffective heating, especially when you are trying to sleep – impossible.

When I moved to Sunnyvale into a duplex my bed was near the window. My husband started wearing a hat to bed, I thought that was strange, but he is really sensitive to temperature changes (he is from a hot climate).  Then I started to get cold, so cold that I rearranged the furniture to be more comfortable at night.  I know – the windows did need to be changed, but this was a rental.

Have you ever tried to sleep when it was really cold out?  Reply to this blog and tell me what you did to make it through the night.

That was before I knew about heating and air conditioning tips that can make life so much more comfortable. I spent some time with a Tempology company that really specialized in comfort.

Let me tell you what can be done to increase your comfort this winter, throw in a some Silicon Valley heating repair, discuss safety mechanisms that are by passed (big red flag by the way), Carbon Monoxide home heating issues and more then what you can or should do about these items.

First – let me reach out to you if  those people who are saying my furnace is not broken because it is working with a safety mechanism or two bypassed on their furnace – knowingly or not it isn’t safe.

NEVER BYPASS A FURNACE SAFETY MECHANISM; NOT EVEN TEMPORARILY.

If your furnace is not working so you call a handyman, neighbor or you try to tackle this issue.  Please understand that I know a lot of handymen and neighbors that are quite good, some of them actually cringe when you ask about the furnace, because they don’t want to say no, or look unknowledgeable.  Most handymen know that we are talking about combustion and carbon monoxide here, deadly subjects.

There are lots of places to save money, buy generic ketchup, walk don’t drive, but when it comes to combustion appliances, hire a professional, your life may depend on it.

So how does this happen?  So someone not familiar with working on furnaces, or a cheap heating company that thinks they are saving you money comes along and starts tinkering around on the furnace.  They find a way to make the furnace work, they can start disconnecting things and sometimes, if they happen to disable the right safety mechanism it can work.

Sure you are happy, youhave heat…but at what cost?  The repair bill is not the only consideration, the fix can bring on a fire or carbon monoxide poisoning, even with a smoke or CO detector by the time it sounds the alarm it may already be too late.

What am I talking about? Let’s say the furnace was shutting off because the unit was over heating or the exhaust was backing up or some other dangerous situation.  Use your imagination to think about what it likely to happen when this is bypassed…it can spell

D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R.

Some of our larger repairs are on accounts where someone untrained tried to “fix the furnace”, they dismantled something, rewired it – you would be amazed at what we find.

You would be better off getting a temporary floor heater and getting the furnace repaired properly.  So using the cheap contractor can cost you by having safety mechanisms bypassed, botched installations, combustion issues, carbon monoxide issues…what did you really save?

So even if your furnace is not broken – meaning it works, it may not be safe.

What about the loud furnace?  A loud furnace can be a sign of an issue.  So if your furnace is making noises it would be worthwhile to get it checked out before the cold weather really  hits and you start counting on it. The noisy furnace could also mean that the unit is oversized for the home and the ductwork.  With furnaces, bigger is not always better.  Noise is also a comfort issue.  I didn’t even realize my furnace was loud until I had it replaced.  I was using the remote’s volume on the TV everytime it turned on and off, but not anymore.

For those of you that have inefficient and/or unreliable heating, I’m sorry for you.  You are paying more for natural gas and electricity at least when it is working.

These unreliable furnaces usually suffer from Murphy’s syndrome that is Murphy’s Law; “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong”. (Wikipedia).  Company coming over, Christmas, Thanksgiving these are the times when it will give out.

Get a professional out there to check your equipment, it may be the best money you ever spent.

 

If you need help with temperature, contact Cold Craft, Inc.

408.374.7292 or [email protected]