Sub-zero wind chills have mechanics, furnace repair crews busy: "They fail when they're working hardest"
MILWAUKEE -- Monday, January 18th was another bitterly cold day in southeastern Wisconsin. A Wind Chill Advisory issued for all of southeastern Wisconsin expired at noon on Monday -- but temperatures were still in the single digits, with sub-zero, double-digit wind chills.
There were two types of work crews that were particularly busy early this week amid the arctic chill -- those you call when your furnace fails, and those you call when your vehicle won't start.
Gerome Pogodzinski was dealing with car troubles on Monday.
"It wouldn't start. It wouldn`t do anything," Pogodzinski said.
"Been doing a lot of towing. Had trucks out all day long," Ted Kniprath, owner of ARS Auto Repair said.
Kniprath said many of the car batteries that fail when it gets bitterly cold are five years old or older -- and the cold finishes them off.
"We can get most of them started. They do start. Some of the batteries are frozen at this time already because they're that bad," Kniprath said.
It wasn't just batteries that were causing drivers problems on Monday.
"Most of it is just frozen gas lines, dead batteries. People have too thick of oil in their cars and it doesn`t turn over like it should," Kniprath said.
Those with D&M Heating and Air Conditioning know a thing or two about working in the cold as well.
"A house can lose temperature fairly quickly when it's this (bitterly) cold," Kurt Dodge with D&M Heating and Air Conditioning.
D&M Heating and Air Conditioning
Dodge said work was steady on Monday. Crews were out making repairs and even dealing with some emergency calls that required an entire furnace replacement.
"They tend to fail when they're working the hardest," Dodge said.
Whether the cold causes you issues at home, at work, or on the road -- there are folks ready to answer that call.
D&M Heating and Air Conditioning
"This is the time of year we wait for," Dodge said.
Kniprath said as of mid-afternoon on Monday, they were dealing with triple the work they see on a typical Monday.
Kniprath and Dodge advise folks to keep up with maintenance -- whether it's your vehicle or your furnace. That can help you to avoid issues when the mercury falls.
Need assistance with an issue you've experienced due to the bitter cold? CLICK HERE to find a contractor through Milwaukee NARI (National Association of the Remodeling Industry).