Has a power outage rendered your furnace inoperable? It’s important to have a back-up plan in case you can’t run your furnace in the winter. Without heat, your home may soon be uncomfortably or even dangerously cold. But how can you heat your house without electricity? Here are some back-up options you should consider setting up.
Gas Fireplace
While electric fireplaces don’t produce much heat, a gas fireplace can heat your home or at least a substantial space around it. All you need is an ignition system that will work without electricity—which many gas fireplaces have. It’s called a millivolt system. You can also use a gas fireplace with an IPI starter system during a power outage if it has back-up batteries.
Or, you may not need an ignition system at all if you have a system that has a standing pilot light. As the pilot light on these systems is always lit, they do not need electricity in order to start up and begin providing heat.
Wood Fireplace
If you have a wood fireplace, you can use it for emergency heating during a power outage, or just when your furnace is broken. However, you will want to make sure that the fireplace is in working order before you start. If you typically only think of your wood fireplace as decorative, you could run into serious problems trying to start it up.
You should also keep an eye on your fuel. If you only plan to run your wood fireplace a few nights a year, you may not have enough wood to burn for the whole power outage. It may be a good idea to always have a few days’ worth of wood on hand, as you can’t just use fresh or wet wood.
Generators
You may be able to use a back-up generator to power your furnace after all. You’ll need to choose a generator that can supply enough power for your furnace, and probably a few more appliances that are most useful to you during the power outage. Then, you’ll need someone to hook the generator up to your system. Plus, you’ll also need a fuel source for the generator.
What if the furnace problem isn’t from a power outage? We can help. We offer emergency repairs all day long because our number one priority is your comfort. If your family needs an emergency furnace repair, contact us today.
