Our furnace stopped working at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving. We contacted our HVAC guy for ideas but were out of luck for the night. Since stores were closed, we couldn’t buy parts. But it wasn’t so cold that I would pay an emergency charge for a service call.
The daytime temps were in the 50s, but overnight, it reached the upper 30s. Indoors, it dipped to 61 at its worst.
Here are some ideas on how to stay warm if your furnace goes out but you still have electricity.
Keep these safety points in mind:
- Hypothermia can happen indoors. Even temperatures in the 60 to 65-degree range can cause hypothermia in vulnerable people. The elderly, the young, and people with certain medical conditions are even more at risk for hypothermia.
- Never use your stove, oven, clothes dryer, or other appliance as a heat source. They can cause a fire or carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Never use outdoor heaters (fire pits, grills, etc.) indoors or in garages, as they’re a carbon monoxide and fire risk.
- Test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to ensure they function properly.
- Guard against burst water pipes. Factors like the location and material of your pipes and the temperature can determine whether your water pipes might freeze in a heat outage. The Red Cross has info on how to prevent frozen pipes and what to do if they freeze.
Seal off as much of your house as you can
Move quickly on this. The goal is to trap heat in your house and block cold air from seeping in.
- Close your curtains, except for windows facing direct sunlight
- Consider hanging blankets over drafty windows to add more insulation
- Make sure all closet doors are closed. Close off rooms you won’t be using
- Block under-door drafts with rugs, rolled up towels, or dedicated draft dodgers
- If you need to go outside, use a door farthest from the room you’re trying to keep warm
Which room in your house is the warmest? For me, it’s a bedroom with only one exterior wall or my bathroom. Sometimes, basements could be slightly warmer than upstairs when the furnace conks out. It all depends on your house, the insulation, the windows, and where any drafts might be.
Choose the room where you’ll spend most of your time. If you are with others, everyone’s body heat can work together to stay warm.
In our case, we hung out in the living room before bedtime. I ran our electric space heater intermittently to take the chill out of the air.
If you have a small camp or play tent, you could set it up in your warm room and sit inside to trap body heat.
Layer your clothes to trap body heat
Once you’ve sealed off your home, turn your attention to personal warmth. It’s easier to stay warm than it is to warm up. Add some warm clothing layers as soon as you’ve sealed off your house.
- Slippers with soles to provide an insulating layer between your feet and the floor
- Warm wool socks
- Base layers under your shirt and pants
- Warm top layers
- Hat, scarf, gloves (even fingerless)
- Vest
- Coat
- Blankets
Which safe heat sources do you have?
- Fireplace (nondecorative)
- Portable space heater
- Electric blankets, electric heating pads, hot water bottles
- Hand warmers
Never use your stove or oven as a heat source!
This is a dangerous practice because it’s a fire hazard and carbon monoxide risk. Plus, other dangerous pollutants could fill your home. Do not operate your oven with the door open or turn on your stove burners for heat.
Instead, use your oven normally. Bake some cookies or other food, and when you’re finished, turn off your oven. You’ll still have some safe radiant heat — now with cookies! Enjoy them with hot tea, coffee, or cocoa. Drink plenty of water, too.
Boil water on your stovetop to add humidity and a bit of heat to your kitchen. Ensure the pot has enough water so it won’t boil dry.
Take a hot shower or bath to warm your body and temporarily warm your bathroom. I took a hot shower and then brought my kids into the bathroom to get dressed since it was much warmer there.
If camping out in your bathroom, you could fill the tub with hot water, adding a few degrees of warmth to the air.
Do chores and move around to stay warm
You could get in a cozy pile on the couch and watch a movie under some blankets, but you can also try moving around your house to keep the blood pumping. March up and down your stairs, push a vacuum, hand wash dishes, or do other light housekeeping tasks.
Do laundry. My clothes dryer puts out some heat while it’s running, and wrapping up in a warmed blanket is always a cozy choice. Remember, use it as normal – not as an actual heat source.
Layer your blankets on the bed for warmth
If you have flannel sheets, now is the time to use them. Flannel sheets insulate and trap heat because of the brushed, fuzzy texture.
You can warm your bed with a hot water bottle if you don’t have a heated mattress pad or electric blanket.
Do you have sleeping bags rated for cold temperatures? Pull them out of storage and snuggle inside.
Other options include a few blankets and a down duvet. The goal is to be warm but not sweaty.
A smoky turn of events — know when to leave!
Back to my furnace story.
The next morning, the HVAC repair guy replaced a fuse but couldn’t identify the problem beyond that. On Saturday, the blower motor burnt out, and the house quickly filled with smoke.
Fortunately, the furnace has several safety mechanisms, so it didn’t stay on fire and burn my house down. Nothing was damaged except for the blower motor. I quickly got the kids outside and called the fire department to make sure there wasn’t a smoldering fire. They used their fans to exhaust the smoke out of the house.
Our house was much colder than it was on Thanksgiving.
I didn’t want to pay a steep weekend surcharge to have the repair done that day.
So, we turned off the water main so our pipes wouldn’t burst. Then we packed a bag and stayed with family until our furnace could be repaired the following Monday. Fortunately, we had this option and didn’t have to use a hotel.
When the furnace switched on again, it was 51 degrees in the house — far too cold to be comfortable.
Final options for heat
Don’t risk your life. Use my ideas to stay warm if it’s not too frigid, but they only work to a point. When health or safety is at stake, it’s best to leave your house to stay with neighbors or family or get a hotel for the night.
Finally, if your heat is out, or you’re keeping the furnace off due to your inability to pay your power bills, contact the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
I’m sorry you’re without heat, and I hope it is restored for you soon.
