As the temps have dropped, we have had some calls from customers asking what the best settings are for their systems.  They have asked if their system should be running non stop.  And many more questions.  Let me make some statements to help.

1.  Anytime you know temperatures are going to drop below ten degrees you should shut off any set-back settings on your programmable thermostat.  Go to your thermostat and set the setpoint and hit “HOLD“.  This will keep all of your setbacks from happening.  This is important because when your contractor designed your system, he should have used 5 Degrees(Here in Indy) as the coldest average temperature here.  That means if your system is designed correctly, your system should run continuously at 5 Degrees outside to maintain a temperature of 67 Degrees in your home.  That is often a surprise when we explain that to customers.

2.  Another thing we were able to tell a very few customers, when the big ice storm came was since there was a great possibility of power outages it was a good idea to bump up and raise your temperature even a few degrees in case of a power outage, it would buy you some time before your house would get dangerously cold.  We get very concerned when a house gets near the low forty’s.  But if the power is out the fifties is a scary place.  We had about four customers who had power go out and one who had frozen pipes burst.  Remember even if your thermostat says 50, there might be a wall that is already near freezing with pipes inside.

3.  Lastly, anytime we get near dangerous temperatures, Check your filters! Don’t be concerned that your system is running non-stop; that is what it should be doing.

‘Till next time

Rob