Happy Deepavali from all of us at GLORS. The Festival of Lights is about family, food and filling every corner of the home with light. Across the GTA, that usually means a house full of guests, a kitchen that runs all day, and dozens of diyas and candles burning, often on the first truly cold nights of the season.
Your heating system works harder during Deepavali than almost any other week of the fall. These 7 tips will help you keep your home warm, safe and comfortable while you celebrate.
- Book a furnace tune-up before the guests arrive
The worst time to find a furnace problem is the night 20 relatives are coming for dinner. A tune-up checks the burners, igniter, flame sensor, blower and safety controls, and catches small issues before they become a no-heat call.
If you haven't had your furnace serviced since last winter, book it now. Our guide, Get Your Furnace Ready for an Ontario Winter, explains what a proper tune-up covers.
- Change your furnace filter, and check it again after the festival
Diyas, candles, incense and festive frying all put fine smoke and grease particles into the air. Your furnace filter catches them, and it fills up faster than usual during Deepavali week.
- Check the filter before the celebrations start.
- Replace it if it looks grey or clogged.
- Check it again a week or two after the festival.
A clean filter keeps air moving, helps the furnace run efficiently and keeps that smoky haze out of your bedrooms.
- Keep diyas and candles away from vents and the thermostat
Diyas look beautiful along windowsills and entryways. Before you place them, look at where your heating vents, return-air grilles and thermostat are.
- Vents and grilles: warm air from a floor vent can push a flame sideways or carry heat into curtains above it. Keep flames well clear of supply vents and never place them on a return-air grille.
- Thermostat: a group of diyas or candles near the thermostat makes it read the room as warmer than it is. The furnace then shuts off early and the rest of the house gets cold.
- Supervision: the City of Mississauga reminds residents that an adult should always watch diyas and candles, and to keep children and pets away from flames.
- Test your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
A house full of flames, cooking and a furnace running hard is exactly when your alarms matter most. In Ontario, homes with a fuel-burning appliance such as a gas furnace or water heater must have working carbon monoxide alarms, and every home needs working smoke alarms on each level.
Press the test button on every alarm before Deepavali, and replace batteries in any that are weak. Brampton Fire and Emergency Services recommends testing alarms monthly.
- Give your kitchen some fresh air
Deepavali cooking means hours of frying, boiling and steaming sweets and savouries. That adds a lot of moisture, smoke and cooking odours to your home.
- Run your range hood on high while you cook, and for 15 minutes after.
- If you have an HRV or ERV, turn it up during cooking and gatherings.
- Open a window a crack for a few minutes to clear smoke quickly.
Once the cooking is done, the opposite problem can show up: the furnace dries the air out again. If your home feels dry or staticky, read Why a New Furnace Can Leave Your Home Feeling Dry to see how a whole-home humidifier helps.
- Turn the thermostat down a little when the house is full
Every guest adds body heat, and an oven running all afternoon adds even more. A room that felt comfortable at 22°C can feel stuffy by the time dinner is served.
- Lower the thermostat by 1 to 2°C once guests arrive.
- Run ceiling fans on low to move air between rooms.
- If you have a smart thermostat, set a Deepavali schedule so the house is warm before guests arrive and cooler during the party.
You'll keep everyone comfortable and save a little on your gas bill too.
- Make sure your water heater can keep up
More guests mean more showers, more dishes and more hot water. If your water heater runs out during busy mornings or takes a long time to recover, it may be undersized, ageing or due for a flush.
A quick check by a technician can tell you whether it needs service or whether a tankless water heater would suit a busy household better.
