Dependable HVAC Services in Highland County: Local Experts, Honest Solutions

Heating Where Winter Is Serious

Highland County sits high in the Alleghenies, and its winters are longer and colder than anywhere else we work. Heat is not a comfort question out here; a failed furnace or boiler in January can mean frozen pipes within a day. Many homes are older farmhouses and rural houses heated by boilers or furnaces, along with cabins and second homes that sit empty for weeks at a time.

Heat pumps can work in Highland's cold, but they need to be chosen and sized for it, with backup heat that can carry the house on the coldest nights. We look at the house, how it is used and what it heats with now before recommending anything, and we are just as happy to keep a sound boiler running as to replace it.

Plan Around the Roads

The mountain roads between Staunton and Monterey make planning worth it. Schedule fall maintenance early, before ice and snow, so the heating system is checked, cleaned and tested while the drive is easy. A spring visit catches whatever the winter wore out. For a cabin or second home, have the system looked at before the cold season, and keep the heat set high enough to protect the pipes while you are away.

Plenty of companies skip rural Highland County calls. We do not. Call (540) 448-7780 and we will tell you when we can be there.

Boiler and Furnace Safety

Older farmhouses often run on boilers and furnaces that have been in service a long time. A fall check is about safety as much as comfort. On a boiler we look at pressure, the expansion tank, the relief valve and the burner. On a furnace we inspect the heat exchanger, the venting and the flame, because a cracked heat exchanger or a blocked flue can push carbon monoxide into the house.

Every home with a fuel-burning appliance should have working carbon monoxide detectors near the sleeping areas. If yours are missing or out of date, replace them before heating season. If a detector ever sounds, get everyone outside first and call for help from there.

Plan for the worst week of winter too. If a home will sit empty, ask a neighbor to check on it after a cold snap, and know where the main water shutoff is in case a pipe freezes anyway.