No Heat in a Winnipeg Cold Snap: What to Check

When it's −30°C outside, a furnace failure needs quick action. Work through these checks, then get help if heat doesn't come back.

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Thermostat

Set it to Heat, a few degrees above room temperature, and replace the batteries if it has them. Check that a smart thermostat hasn't switched modes or lost power.

Furnace switch and breaker

Check the furnace power switch and the breaker in the panel.

Diagram: the furnace switch looks like a light switch, often with a red cover plate, on or near the furnace or at the top of the basement stairs.

Filter

A badly clogged filter can make the furnace overheat and shut down. Replace it.

Diagram: buy the size printed on the filter edge, and install it with the airflow arrow pointing toward the furnace.

Vent pipes outside

Look at the furnace's plastic intake and exhaust pipes outside. Clear snow and frost gently by hand. See frozen furnace vents.

Reset once

Turn the furnace off for a minute, then back on. If it tries and fails again, leave it and get help; repeated resets can cause damage.

Keep pipes safe

Open cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls, let a tap drip and close off unused rooms.

Stay safe

Never heat the house with a gas oven, barbecue or camp heater. Keep CO alarms working.

Get help

See furnace repair.

Light codes

Most modern furnaces have a small window in the panel with a flashing light. Count the flashes and check the chart on the door; the code tells a technician where to start.

Plan ahead

Know where your water shut-off is, keep a space heater that's safe to use and an extension cord rated for it, and have a technician's details ready before winter.

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