Experts offer tips on protecting your home during extreme cold

Jeremy Thompson finds out what homeowners should be watching for as temperatures fluctuate.

Without attention, the extreme cold can take a toll on the one place people go to escape it, their homes.

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As the temperature dips, many heating and plumbing companies see an increase in calls for furnaces not working.

“Because equipment is working harder,” said Bill Purcell, the owner of Prospect Plumbing and Heating.

“If you don’t have proper airflow moving through the furnace it’ll overheat and it will shut off.”

Purcell said usually the fix is quite simple and something the homeowner can check before calling a pro.

“Check your filter. If it’s plugged, change it,” said Purcell.

You should also check the air intake and exhaust on the outside of your home.

“Those are the two plastic pipes that come out the side. If you’ve got great big icicles or you’ve got any snow buildup around them knock it all free. That’ll usually fix the problem,” Purcell said.

Purcell said people living in apartments or condos should also make sure to keep doors and windows closed in the extreme cold to prevent issues with the boiler systems that heat the building.

“If you’ve got cold air or a window open or a balcony door open that’s running over the radiant heating which will freeze the radiant heating,” Purcell said.

“It’ll burst the pipe even if you’ve got the thermostat cracked all the way open. The weather now is so cold that it doesn’t matter, it can’t keep up,” he added.

As Edmonton prepares for a quick warm up there’s another very important part of your home to protect.

“People should always pay attention to their foundation,” said Todd Ivanochko, president of Shield Foundation Repair in Edmonton.

He said people should check to make sure eavestroughs are not only draining properly, but moving the water away from their foundation.

“If they don’t have the downspouts on and moving water away, they’re just ponding and pooling the water around the foundation, and allowing that water to sit there and go through freeze thaw cycles is really detrimental on a foundation and can create a lot of issues,” said Ivanochko.

He said as water freezes it will push on the foundation wall, typically resulting in horizontal cracks.

“Now it’s a structural issue,” Ivanochko said. “Big, big dollar fixes,” he added.

After 18 years in the business Ivanochko said prevention can go a long way and it all starts with making sure to maintain the proper grading of your yard.

“In the spring when you do see things melt or these heavy rains, go pay attention to the yard and see where things are pooling. If all the water’s rushing and pooling next to your foundation it’s probably a good idea to take care of things and at least adjust the grading,” he said.

Ivanochko said window wells should also be kept clear.

“Because there’s drainage inside these window wells so that they don’t fill up with water so you’ve got to make sure that those things don’t get blocked” he said.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Jeremy Thompson