What to do if you lose heat during cold winter temps in Chicago area – NBC Chicago

If you lose heat during cold winter weather, what can you do?

Furnaces and heating systems are having a tough time keeping up in subzero temperatures. HVAC repair companies are also trying to keep up with demand.

As the Chicago area battles brutally cold temperatures, losing heat can be a dangerous situation to be in, particularly as calls for furnace and heating repairs soar.

This is our Super Bowl for us in HVAC. This is when were at our busiest, said Pedro Sanchez, owner of Sanchez HVAC Services. Im going into houses that are sometimes as low as 30 degrees.

So what can you do and what should you do if that happens?

For those in Chicago, it's important to know the legal guidelines. A heat ordinance is in effect from September through April each year, applying to both homes and workspaces.

The heat ordinance "requires that within houses, apartments, hotel rooms, and indoor workspaces, heat be provided in all habitable spaces, toilet rooms, and bathrooms."

The requirements change by building type, however.

Here's a breakdown from the city:

Homes (Residential Buildings)

Forresidential buildings with central (shared) heating equipment and no central cooling (air conditioning), the indoor temperature is required to be at least 68 degress from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and at least 66 degrees from 10:30 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. for the entire heating season.

Forresidential buildings with central heating and cooling provided by a single system(sometimes called two-pipe buildings), the indoor temperature is required to be at least 68 degrees from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and at least 66 degrees from 10:30 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. for most of the heat season. There are some special rules, however, for the start and end of the winter heating period.

Forresidential buildings with individual heating equipment in each unit,theequipment "must be capable of maintaining an indoor temperature of 68 degrees.

If you are a renter, the ordinance requires that during landlords supply heat to apartments whereoccupants do not have individual control of the heat. It also requires that landlords keep individual heating equipment within houses or individual apartmentsin good operating condition.

Landlords and building owners face fines of$500to $1,000 per day, per violation, if they do not supply adequate heat or functioning heating equipment. The reason for lack of heat does not matterbuilding owners must follow the law, and heat must be provided.

Workspaces

The ordinance also requires that during designated cold weather months, building owners provide heat to indoor workspaces. There are exceptions for workspaceswhere cold temperatures are necessary for the type of work being performed, such as a refrigerated warehouse.

Reporting Violations

"If you are a resident or worker in Chicago and your landlord or employer is not providing adequate heat or no heat at all, you mayfile a complaint using311. The Department of Buildings will inspect and take action against landlords and employers who are found to be breaking the law," the city said.

To report an immediate danger to yourself or others, always call 911, the city notes.

Read the full ordinance rules here.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urges people to stay safe while using other methods to heat their homes, particularly those using a wood stove, fireplace or space heater.

The CDC offers these tips for safety guidelines:

Sanchez said its not always a repair thats needed when customers experience heating troubles.

Make sure the vents are open. Sometimes people will close vents because they want to force air to go in another area and now my furnace is overheating because it cant breathe, Sanchez said.

He also recommends changing your air filter every 30 days especially when the furnace is working harder during the coldest months.

Check your air filter to make sure its nice and clean. When an air filter is dirty it is going to cause our furnace to basically run at a very high temperature and overheat, he said.

A smart thermostat can alert you to problems if youre out of town and its hardwired so you dont need to change batteries. You should also keep your thermostat at the same temperature when its this cold, according to Sanchez.

Its easier to go up one degree and then when it gets colder outside, not only are you trying to go up one degree, youre fighting the temperature dropping outside so it puts much more strain on the system, said Sanchez.

Experts say the best thing to do is to thaw frozen lines. Methods might include:

In many cases, however, calling an expert for help is the best solution.

Read more here.

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What to do if you lose heat during cold winter temps in Chicago area - NBC Chicago