Saskatchewan residents rely heavily on the devices heating their homes throughout the winter months. 

Owner/Manager at Len’s Plumbing and Heating in Swift Current, Tom Westbury, explained that maintenance is essential in keeping furnaces running smoothly. 

He added that the most common issue with furnaces is residents failing to replace or clean their furnace filters. Filters should be cleaned or changed quarterly. 

“The first thing you check is to make sure that your filter is clean,” he stated. “It's very important that the furnace has enough air movement to keep it running properly.” 

Westbury also noted that when temperatures dip to extreme cold, furnaces with venting outside the wall can produce condensation heat and cause the vents to freeze. 

“Go outside and check your vents and make sure that there's no ice on it because that's another big issue we have,” he elaborated. 

Another common problem according to Westbury is the power source. He added that if your furnace is having issues, it is good practice to check the breaker switch as well as the batteries in the thermostat. 

“If it goes beyond that, you probably need a service tech, but keeping that filter clean, making sure there is power at the furnace and keeping those outside vents clear,” he stated. 

Westbury also had some advice for what to do if your pilot light goes out. 

“On the newer furnaces, you can reset them, and they'll try to light again,” he stated. That will shut the main power off for about 10 seconds.  They'll reset and then lots of times they will fire up, but check your vents first, check your filters, and then reset your furnace. If it doesn't fire up, and you've done those couple of things, then I would call us or another company to come in to take a look.” 

He added that if residents are in need of assistance during bouts of extreme cold, they can call to be guided through the process over the phone. 

“We'll walk you through those steps,” he stated. “Because our volume of calls gets to be so much, we probably fix at least 30 percent just over the phone. So, call us for any questions.”