Cochrane is right in the middle of an extreme cold snap with temperatures dipping below minus 40. If your furnace fails, your home could be completely frozen in less than 10 hours.

Jason Helfrich with Royal Mechanical Services says with this cold weather, many Cochranites have had issues keeping their home warm. “We're probably taking 30 to 40 calls on a day like today. We're getting to as many as we can.”

With the extreme demand growing, he says there are simple maintenance tips that any homeowner can perform.

“The biggest thing right now is to make sure that your furnace filter is clean and new. If you have a high-efficiency furnace, make sure your venting pipes outside are free of ice.”

“Those pipes just need to be clear from snow and ice. If you have an old coat hanger or something like that, you want to take that outside. shove that down there and break up any moisture buildup that's forming in there.”

While simple maintenance can go a long way, sometimes furnace failure is unavoidable. In those situations, Helfrich says keeping the heat you have is essential.

“Keep your doors and windows closed and if you have any fireplaces, get those fired up and running.”

“Pick up a couple of space heaters, and throw them in your mechanical room to keep your water mains from bursting. If you have any secondary source of heat, you want to get that fired up and running right away.”