How to prevent battery breakdowns and furnace frustrations during a cold snap

Cars and furnaces are feeling the effects of the bitter cold. Jeff Pickel has that story.

The extreme cold sweeping across southern Ontario can be dangerous for humans, but it can also cause havoc on homes and vehicles.

When the temperature drops, some drivers may notice their cars struggle to start as the battery fights against the frigid temperatures.

“The average car battery only lasts for three to five years,” Nadia Matos, a CAA spokesperson, said. “If you’re sitting at around year four or year five, and you’ve never had problems before, you most likely are probably going to end up seeing problems.”

According to Matos, there were more than 300 calls for service in the Waterloo Region and Guelph area on Tuesday.

CAA customers typically wait about a half-hour for service, but recently the demand has pushed that number closer to an hour.

“We have a lot of crews out on the ground responding to, for the most part, battery failures. Interestingly, in the Waterloo Region… and Guelph area, we’ve been seeing more tows than actual battery boosts.”

“It’s a little bit of an outlier,” Matos continued. “It just means when people get to their vehicles, they just don’t work and no amount of boosting [will help]. Or perhaps they have a mechanical issue.”

There are some telltale signs and sounds that a battery may be on the verge of conking out.

“You could be looking for a clicking, grinding noise – that stalling kind of sound. Perhaps the battery has stopped working before. Your radio and electronics power down quickly, or perhaps your lights are dimming when you’re idling. They rev up and get brighter when you’re turning on your vehicle, but they idle and get darker. Those are some things that you can look out for that really indicate that your battery is on the way out.”

Although batteries can be susceptible to the cold, it’s not the only part of the vehicle vulnerable to the extreme conditions.

“I think what people need to be vigilant of is that the tire pressure will decrease in the wintertime and then expand when it gets a little bit warm. If you have some wacky weather, where it gets really cold and gets really warm, you really have to be on top of your tire pressure,” Matos explained.

She also encouraged drivers to check their car fluids.

“That’s your transmission fluids, your oil, even the fluids inside your battery. We recommend plugging in your battery if possible, making sure that you’re getting regular service checks and that you’re using synthetic oil.”

The final thing to keep an eye on is windshield wipers.

“There is a lot of snow and rain and melting and freezing and they get stuck on your windshield. Make sure you’re really removing the snow and ice before you use them to help with better adhesion and cleaning.”

Matos said when a call comes in, they triage their operation. People who may be in danger, such as a driver stuck at the side of a highway or in another potentially life-threatening space, will be seen to first, followed by people in less risky situations, like those in parking lots or the driveway of a home.

Drivers are also reminded that Ontario’s Slow Down, Move Over law applies to tow trucks with flashing amber lights. All drivers are required to reduce their speed when approaching a stopped truck and, if it’s safe to do so, move over to leave at least one lane between their vehicle and the tow truck.

Furnace frustrations

The cold weather troubles don’t end at the driveway. Things are also heating up in the furnace repair business.

“I’ll joke that I could easily run a mile as long as I stop every five seconds. When it’s not super cold, you get a time for the furnace to cool down and not overheat, not work too hard. But if you ask it to run for a much longer duration, then the fatigue of an older furnace, or a maintenance issue that hasn’t been addressed, they start to become a problem,” explained Mike Zuliana from Able Air.

There are some steps homeowners can take to ease the pressure on their heating system.

“Some of the most basic things is just general maintenance,” Zuliana advised.

“Changing your filter, making sure that it’s clean, making sure that you don’t have any snow built up around your venting outside.”

Zuliana said it can be more than just an uncomfortable experience, especially when repair crews are in high demand.

“You can hear it in their voice. I mean, there’s times that people are almost in tears.”