14/12/2025
I send this out to homebuyers and tenants but think it is timely to post here as well.
L O N G, important message ahead.
Going to be unseasonably and dangerously cold tonight and/or the next few nights. When nighttime temps are going to be below 20 degrees, please leave any cabinet doors open under kitchen or bathroom sinks on exterior walls. Remove items that might impede warm air from reaching the pipes. Leave a trickle of water running at those locations about the size of a pencil lead. Flush toilet regularly / frequently just to keep water flowing through the main supply lines.
Dishwashers on exterior walls should have a cycle run a couple of times a day even if empty. The solenoids that control the water flow to dishwashers are often located near the back of the unit. The unit itself restricts airflow to the back. Running the unit keeps water circulating through the system. During very cold conditions, the water in the dishwasher line can get to near freezing temperatures and expand just as when forming ice. This expansion can cause the solenoid valve to split and can cause an uncontrolled water release just like a burst pipe. Even though modern homes are well insulated, insulation is not a substitution for heat. When extremely cold temperatures are outside, and pipes and dishwashers are on an exterior wall, heat from the home has a hard time reaching them if the cabinet doors are closed and the body of the dishwasher is blocking the flow of air to the areas behind the unit where the solenoid valve and water pipes may rest. The precautions mentioned above help to offset the problem.
Know where the main shutoff is for the whole house. Often it is located above the water heater. Have the Water Co. Emergency number handy just in case.
If you have to shut off the water main, MAKE SURE to turn OFF the breaker to the water heater for electric water heaters first. Otherwise, the unit can burn out the elements inside.
DOUBLE CHECK to ensure all windows and securely closed and locked. Check door weatherstripping. Towels or "door snakes" will help prevent cold air from entering thresholds.
PLEASE realize HVAC systems are sized for the geographical region in which they are installed. They are not adequately designed for cold, which is below 20 degrees or so in this region, or heat, which is 30 or 40 degrees above or below normal. Space heaters may be needed. Only use portable electric space heaters to prevent any chance of carbon monoxide buildup from fuel fired heaters.
FYI, the HVAC equipment in your home has been sized properly using design criteria for this area. Typically, the units are designed for a cooling load, and the heating load matches that design. These designs use a Manual J load calculation which uses our local region and accommodates around a 20 – 25 degree cooling disparity. As an example, if the NORMAL peak summertime temperature is around 95 degrees, the unit is sized to be able to comfortably bring the inside temps down to 70 to 75 degrees under peak workload. The sizing of the units cannot be oversized and run properly. If a larger than required unit is installed, it will “short cycle” during all but the unusually hot, and rare, times the oversized unit it needed. This wears the units out, and can cause other mechanical problems, not to mention it also runs up the electric bill unnecessarily during regular use simply because the unit is oversized.
To use an analogy, think of a smaller car with a large engine. The oversized engine may only be needed on rare occasion – say the one time every other year when pulling a great big boat, but you will be paying for poor gas mileage for every mile because the engine is too large for the regular needs of the car.
The heating side of the HVAC system with a heat pump is based on a match to the cooling calculations. It will perform to whatever level needed as a rule, because it has electric heat strips in the unit. Even if temperatures get far in excess of a 20 – 25 disparity (70 degrees inside and 10 degrees outside), the unit will heat the home – up to a limit. At some point, the exterior temps become too cold for the units to keep up, even with the heat strips in the unit. Modern heat pumps in this region will usually keep a home comfortable with efficiency down to the 25 degree range.
Beyond that, it may become necessary to use portable heaters to augment the HVAC system. I use them at my home. It appears that when temps hit single digits or below, this may be the case. This is not a sign of an improperly functioning unit, but rather the reality of an unusually cold weather pattern.
Since the weather will be so extreme, I am asking you to help make sure the equipment is running at peak performance so I can continue to honor my commitment, and to ensure your maximum comfort. If your home or unit has HVAC equipment which is easily accessible, and for which you usually change the filters, please do so at this time and email me a picture showing the new filter(s) and old side by side so I can document compliance in the file. (If you have already done that in the last week or ten days, and have already sent me a picture, you do not need to do it again). I cannot stress enough the importance of clean filters when the temperatures are extreme on either the hot or cold end. Send pictures of filter change [email protected] or text to 859-221-7082. Email is preferred if possible.
If the unit is keeping the heat constant but is having a hard time keeping it at the exact temperature called for on the thermostat, that is normal under these extreme cold temperatures. However, if your home experiences unrelenting drops in temperature after using the measures mentioned, please notify me. There may be a problem with the HVAC unit which requires immediate servicing.
Keep up the efforts even if the temperatures rise a little bit. As long as nighttime lows are below freezing the pipes and systems of the home can be at risk.
I hope these helpful hints and ideas are helpful in navigating these challenging, and extremely cold, days ahead.
Finally, DO NOT use salt on concrete. It WILL damage the concrete. Use a snow shovel or approved ice melt product. Basic cat litter or children's play sand can be used in a pinch.
Stay warm and safe, all!
