PLYMOUTH, Minn. — "As soon as it gets cold it turns into the busiest time for us, for any of us in this business," said Claire Ferrara, the president of Standard Heating and Air Conditioning.
With strong winds, dangerously cold wind chills and a chance for plowable snow expected this week, Ferrara says there are a few things you should do if there are noises coming from your furnace or if it's not heating properly.
"The number one thing would be to have a professional out to tune up your equipment as early on in the season as you can," she said.
Ferrara says it's important to make sure your furnace is winterized - including checking your furnace filter frequently. "If it gets clogged up and dirty, your furnace can't breathe," she said. "Second thing, if they have PVC pipes, go outside, and make sure those aren't clogged."
And when it comes to humidifiers, Ferrara says, "when it gets really cold, you're going to find if you have one that doesn't self-adjust, if you have to manually turn the dial, you're going to want to turn that down, or you are going to get a lot of moisture on your windows you're not going to be too happy to deal with."
With hundreds of people still without power in northern Minnesota, as the winter weather conditions call for another blast of snow and cold air, Ferrara says the best way to avoid a costly and unexpected replacement is to take preventative measures.
"If you hear popping noises, or banging noises, you should probably call us," she said.
Lake Country Power mentioned that "Nearly 1,400 members have seen power restored since Sunday morning – with 500 members currently without power and 55 outages to repair."
Lake Country Power also said they're hoping to have all of the power restored by tonight, but stated those still without should take precautions and plan accordingly.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities in our YouTube playlist: