HVAC Pros Across the Country Feeling the Cold Today

Southern contracting businesses may not be the first that come to mind on extremely cold days like today, but they’re still going to be extremely busy all week.

A story from WCNC-TV, based in Charlotte, spoke with Morris Jenkins, a heating technician company, who said they’ll be busy all week. The company, ContractingBusiness.com’s 2009 Residential Contractor of the Year, told the news station that customers should get a head start on this extreme weather, if at all possible.

"It's good to get us in before the first cold snap hits, that way we can put our eyes on it and help homeowners prepare," said Morris Jenkins technician, Mark Cagle.

And that's what Cagle is busy doing all week-- maintenance checks. Where at one home, the homeowner wanted to make sure their heater was in good shape before freezing temperatures roll in.

"Really, you want a certified technician to come out, fire the furnace up, you want to check for gas leaks, you want to clean flame sensor, check the electrical components-- just make sure you don't have any safety hazards," said Cagle.

Some things you simply cannot prepare for in the cold weather, such as power outages. For example, Huntsville Utilities Spokesman Joe Gehrdes told AL.com that demand-based outages can happen as people turn up their indoor temperature. His company, based in Alabama, can “jump right on it,” he said, but noted that customers need to be aware of when their auxiliary heat source kicks on.

"When you see that auxiliary heat light come on, you're running electric heat," he said. "That's very expensive. Think of it as an electric space heater attached to your HVAC system."

The cold weather will almost certainly burst some residential water pipes. But Huntsville Utilities has the ability to quickly re-route water through the system "so an isolated (burst pipe) problem doesn't become a widespread problem," said Gehrdes.

This current cold snap will have ramifications across the country and keep HVAC contracting businesses busy everywhere. What’s your company’s story this week? Let us know in the comments or email [email protected].