Cold weather tips for home, car

ARDMORE, Pa. (WPVI) -- The cold weather means big business for repair shops, but there are some things you can do to keep yourself from dealing with an emergency.

Kristin Rimer of South Philadelphia just had her heating unit serviced and discovered there were a few problems.

"Our service guy came out and diagnosed there were multiple issues with the heater and the customer decided to replace the unit," Frank Rementer of Joseph Giannone Heating and Air Conditioning said.

"Made sense to replace the unit instead of invest in fixing it when I know it was getting old and have to be replaced," Rimer said.

Matt Strong of SOS Plumbing is also getting a lot of SOS calls right now.

"You get your no heat calls. Thermostats are calling for heat, but it's not getting up the temperature," Strong said.

With the frigid temperatures, everyone is firing up their heat and not everyone is finding those heaters are working like they need.

"You want to turn the thermostat on, make sure it's firing up. Check the chimney. Make sure the chimney's not clogged," Strong said.

The cold air is taking its toll on cars too.

AAA is reporting roadside assistance calls were up 22 percent with the record breaking lows Tuesday.

The top 3 reasons for calls for help: dead batteries, tows and tire related problems.

"The cold weather, they should check their belts, their hoses, their fluids, tire pressure is important you should check. Mainly the fluids, washer solvent, windshield wipers, they're important for the wintertime," Larry Strauss of Armen Chevrolet said.

These are the coldest November temperatures we've seen since the mid-1970s and after last winter, many people like Rimer aren't taking any chances.

"Just wanted to get everything fixed and ready to go," Rimer said.

And everyone we talked to today has told us the same thing - prevention is key. No one wants to be in an emergency situation.

These are not temperatures you want to be stuck in.