Is your house ready for Iowa’s first taste of winter weather?

DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowans have gotten their first taste of cold weather, and HVAC companies are already fielding a spike in calls as homeowners turn their attention to the upcoming winter. From record temperatures on Friday to turning on the furnace by Sunday. The extreme cold of winter is still weeks away, but now is the time to get ready.

In states like Iowa, heating and cooling systems work extra hard, as winter and summer can bring 100-degree temperature differences.

This means even the small things, like changing your air filters, can make all the difference once winter finally sticks around.

“We get so many calls that [people] are having not adequate heating, or no heating at all they feel like. We will go out, and it’s a dirty air filter, and it’s something that every homeowner just needs to stay on top of, keeping filters new every few months. Right now, right before this first frost, it’s a really good reminder before you turn your furnace on for the first time in the season to get [filters] changed out with new ones,” said Jordan Stenger, Office Manager at Midwest Heating & Cooling.

Oftentimes, people wait until the cold sticks around to finally run their furnace, but Stenger says the first frost is an ideal time to crank up the furnace to ensure that it’s working properly.

“Turn on that system, crank it up an extra couple of degrees, and go to every room in your house to make sure that you’re feeling moderate heat throughout your home. Listen for any noises, any squealing noises or banging noises when your furnace comes on,” said Stenger.

And while dust brun off is normal, Stenger said it’s important to call about any long-lingering smells. He said it is also important for HVAC systems to be checked by professionals yearly to prevent any small problems from turning into major repairs.

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