What Temperature Should You Leave Your Thermostat at While Away?

During freezing weather, leave your heating system running rather than turning it off completely.

The American Red Cross recommends keeping the thermostat set to at least 55°F when you're away during cold weather. However, that temperature doesn't guarantee your pipes won't freeze.

If you have plumbing in an unheated crawl space, garage, or poorly insulated exterior wall, you may need to keep the house warmer. Those areas can become much colder than the temperature displayed on your thermostat.

For example, a Springfield homeowner with an older house and plumbing along exterior walls may need to take different precautions than someone living in a newer, well-insulated home. Even when both thermostats are set to the same temperature, the pipes may experience very different conditions.

The appropriate setting depends on your home's construction, plumbing locations, and expected weather. If you're unsure whether vulnerable pipes are adequately protected, ask a qualified plumber before traveling.

Should You Use Your Thermostat's Vacation Mode?

Vacation or away settings can maintain a consistent temperature without heating an empty house to your normal comfort level.

Before leaving, confirm that the programmed temperature is appropriate and that your thermostat won't switch back to an unintended schedule.

If you have a heat pump, be careful with large temperature setbacks. Depending on the equipment and thermostat configuration, a substantial temperature increase when you return may activate auxiliary heating.

The goal is to maintain dependable heat while avoiding unnecessary energy use.

How Can You Tell Whether Your Heating System Is Ready?

Don't assume your furnace is working properly just because the thermostat is on.

A thermostat can display the correct temperature even when another component prevents the heating system from operating.

Before leaving, set the thermostat a few degrees above the current room temperature and confirm the system responds. Give it enough time to verify that the equipment is heating and the indoor temperature is moving toward the new setting.

For a forced-air system, check that heated air is reaching the rooms as expected.

Pay attention to warning signs such as:

• Heating cycles that stop unexpectedly or repeatedly restart.
• Rooms that remain unusually cold while the system runs.
• New rattling, grinding, or other unfamiliar noises.
• Thermostat error messages or equipment fault indicators.
• A system that runs for long periods without reaching the selected temperature.

These symptoms don't necessarily mean you need major repairs, but they shouldn't be ignored before an extended absence.

If you notice something unusual, don't wait until the day you leave to have it checked.

Essential Heating System Checks Before You Leave

Before you get caught up in packing, take a few minutes to check the filter, vents, and thermostat.

Check the Air Filter

If the filter is visibly loaded with dust or due for replacement, change it before leaving.

Restricted airflow can cause some furnaces to overheat and shut down on a safety limit. That becomes a bigger concern when nobody is home to notice the system has stopped heating.

Use the correct filter size and a type appropriate for your equipment. A filter that's too restrictive can also create airflow problems.

Make Sure Vents Aren't Blocked

Check that furniture, rugs, and stored belongings aren't covering supply or return air openings.

Blocked airflow can affect heating performance and contribute to uneven temperatures.

If you've noticed that certain rooms stay cold even when the rest of the house is comfortable, the issue may involve ductwork, insulation, or airflow balance rather than the thermostat setting.

Our Airflow & Home Comfort services address these types of problems by looking at how the system delivers heat throughout the home.

Double-Check Your Thermostat

Confirm that the thermostat is set to heating mode and that its schedule won't lower the temperature unexpectedly.

If your thermostat uses replaceable batteries, check whether they're due for replacement.

For smart thermostats, verify that remote access and any available low-temperature alerts are configured correctly.

Keep in mind that alerts depend on the thermostat's features, electrical power, and internet connection. They're useful, but they can't guarantee you'll be notified of every heating problem.

How Can You Reduce the Risk of Frozen Pipes?

Keeping the heat on is important, but it doesn't protect every pipe in the house equally.

Plumbing in garages, crawl spaces, exterior walls, and other poorly insulated locations can be vulnerable during prolonged freezing weather.

Before traveling:

• Disconnect garden hoses and prepare outdoor faucets for freezing temperatures.
• Keep garage doors closed when water lines are nearby.
• Check that exposed plumbing has appropriate insulation and freeze protection.
• Close windows and other openings that could expose plumbing to cold air.
• Follow any winterization instructions specific to your property.

Some homeowners also shut off their main water supply before an extended trip to reduce the consequences of a leak.

That isn't the right choice for every property. Fire-sprinkler systems and certain heating or plumbing configurations may require special precautions.

A qualified plumber can help determine whether shutting off the water or taking additional winterization steps makes sense for your home.

The important distinction is that keeping your living space warm doesn't necessarily mean every pipe is protected.

What Happens if the Heat Goes Out While You're Away?

A winter power outage can stop your heating system, even if your furnace uses natural gas or propane.

Most modern gas furnaces need electricity to operate their controls, ignition system, and blower. Heat pumps also require electrical power.

Around the Lake of the Ozarks, this is especially worth considering if you're leaving a lake-area property unoccupied for an extended period. If the power goes out during freezing weather, you may not know the heating system has stopped until someone checks the property or an available monitoring system sends an alert.

When the power goes out, the house gradually loses heat. How quickly temperatures fall depends on the outdoor conditions, insulation, air leakage, and other factors.

What Happens When Power Returns?

At Tom's Air Conditioning & Heating, we've seen HVAC components damaged following electrical fluctuations, particularly in rural areas where power interruptions can be a concern.

Sometimes the problem isn't simply losing electricity. Voltage disturbances associated with an outage or power restoration can affect sensitive equipment components.

That means the lights may come back on, but the heating system may not resume normal operation.

Electrical protection devices can help reduce certain risks, although no device prevents every type of electrical damage.

If your system has experienced repeated electrical problems or doesn't operate normally after an outage, have it evaluated rather than repeatedly resetting equipment or bypassing safety controls.

Have Someone Who Can Check the House

If you'll be gone for several days, consider asking a trusted neighbor, friend, or family member to check on the property if needed.

A smart thermostat may help you monitor indoor temperatures remotely, but it can't fix a heating failure. Power or internet interruptions may also prevent alerts from reaching you.

Make sure your local contact knows how to reach you and whom to call if the house becomes unusually cold.

When Should You Schedule a Heating Inspection?

You don't need a separate professional inspection before every holiday trip.

However, if your system is overdue for maintenance, has been shutting down unexpectedly, or struggles to maintain temperature, it's worth finding out why before leaving it unattended.

During a heating evaluation, a technician can check relevant components, system operation, airflow, controls, and potential safety concerns.

For gas furnaces, appropriate inspection also includes combustion-related components and safety checks.

Maintenance can't guarantee your heating system won't break down, but it can reveal certain problems before they become more serious.

At Tom's, our approach is to identify what's happening with the system and explain what we find.

Through Show Me Reporting™, we document relevant findings and help homeowners understand which concerns need attention, what repairs may be recommended, and why.

That gives you useful information when deciding whether to address a problem before traveling.