With winter in full swing, heating technicians respond to rush of service calls

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. When winter weather hits, the first place youll turn is the thermostat. But the furnace warm up has heating technicians working overtime. Theyre answering service calls for furnaces feeling the heat.

Whether your home is heated by a wood-burning fireplace, a gas furnace or some other service, there are preparations you need to make before winter weather hits hard.

On Friday power tools rang as loudly as Kevin Baileys phone did. Bailey is a service tech with Anthony Plumbing, Heating and Cooling, and hes dispatched to repair many furnaces each day.

Bailey says changing the filters in your furnace every few months can lengthen to time between unforeseen house calls.

Dirt causes about 60 percent of problems, maybe 60 to 80 percent of problems with furnaces and also with AC during the summertime, he explained.

On the fireplace front, Chris Loving is also a man in demand, sweeping and inspecting chimneys for Fluesbrothers Chimney Service.

Were booked out for a couple of weeks right now, Loving said.

Loving said its recommended that regularly-used chimneys get an annual inspection. He recommends fireplace-users stick with dry, split, seasoned wood, and those chimney sweeping logs arent enough to keep your home secure.

Theyre like chewing Trident. Theyre OK to use in conjunction with the sweep. They dont substitute or replace the sweeping action, he said.

Loving says a typical sweep and inspection will cost you $250. He also emphasized safety while using a wood-burning fireplace. He cited national statistics that show as many as three-quarters of all chimney fires are caused by failure to have that chimney serviced.

Visit link:
With winter in full swing, heating technicians respond to rush of service calls