Cold spell keeps furnace repair companies busy

The cold weather is keeping furnace companies across the Kansas City metropolitan area busy.

Some homeowners said they're trying to have routine maintenance done, but they can't get a spot on the schedule until December.

Experts said that kind of preventive work is worth it.

Midwest Heating Cooling and Plumbing technicians said homeowners can change furnace and humidifier filters, but it takes expertise to really check out how well a furnace functions.

Many companies provide fall and spring maintenance work for between $150 and $200 per year.

Newer, more efficient models also need checkups, too. Jack Lambert. of Midwest Heating Cooling and Plumbing, said in some cases newer furnaces need more attention.

"It's all sealed up. You can't even see the burners anymore, so that's why you need a professional to check certain things, like gas pressure and the motor," Lambert said. "You've got to make sure this runs to the flue to clean out the fumes of the flue and, if for some reason this would clog up, the pressure switch turns the heat off."

A faulty furnace can also release dangerous carbon monoxide gas into a home. Experts recommend having carbon monoxide detectors on every floor of a house.

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Cold spell keeps furnace repair companies busy