Furnaces working more than normal this winter

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The cold temperatures are making furnaces work harder than they're used to. A local heating service company has some suggestions to make sure your furnace stays running.



"I noticed it started getting really cold, and he woke up and started crying and I checked the thermostat and I realized the furnace had gone out again," said Leonardo Mercado.



Sleep has not come easy the past two nights for Mercado and his 21-month old son because the furnace wasn't working.



"It's really hard to get comfortable when it is freezing outside," said Mercado.



The phones have been ringing off the hook at Great Lakes Heating Company.



"Typically when the weather gets colder we get a lot more calls than we would usually be getting in.  A lot of people calling about no heat, their furnace is not coming on," said Melissa Simbeck, dispatcher for Great Lakes Heating Company.



Service technician Anthony Bely says there are some simple checks you can do on your furnace, before it goes out on you.



"Check that your electric switch is on. Check your air filter on your unit, make sure it's clean and not plugged up," said Bely. "Furnaces now a days have plastic pipes like this that will come out of your house, check that those are not plugged up with ice or snow and that they are clear, you can keep them clear by keeping the snow shoveled around them."



Bely said the most important thing you can do to keep your furnace running properly all winter is to get a yearly check of your furnace by a professional technician.