Inland Northwest winters don’t send a warning letter — one November week you’re raking leaves, the next it’s 8°F with a foot of snow. Here’s how to make sure your home is ready before that flip.
Heating system first
Fall tune-up, fresh filter, and a test run before the first freeze. If your furnace is over 15 years old, know the number for replacement before you need it at midnight — emergency decisions are the expensive ones. Keep our number on the fridge: (509) 555-0163.
Protect the plumbing
Disconnect hoses and insulate exterior spigots. Know where your main water shutoff is. During cold snaps, open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls and let faucets drip overnight — Spokane plumbers stay busy every January with burst pipes that a pencil-thin trickle would have prevented.
Snow and vents
After big storms, check sidewall furnace and water-heater vent terminations — wind-driven snow plugs them, and modern furnaces shut down by design when that happens. It’s the most common post-storm no-heat call we run on the West Plains and in North County.
If the heat dies anyway
Don’t run the oven for heat. Space heaters in occupied rooms, doors closed to unused ones, and call the emergency line — we answer 24/7 through every cold snap.