HVAC in Benalto

Benalto at a glance

Benalto is a hamlet in Red Deer County about 13 km west of the Town of Sylvan Lake. Kountry Meadows, a manufactured home community, sits right next to it.

What that means for your heating

Manufactured homes usually have a compact furnace in a closet with ducts running under the floor. Those ducts sit in a cold space below the home, so a torn duct or loose connection can send warm air outside before it reaches the rooms. Use furnaces approved for manufactured homes when replacing; see furnace replacement.

Acreage living

Acreages around Benalto may heat with propane rather than natural gas, and some have shops with their own heaters. Keep an eye on the propane level ahead of a cold snap, since a furnace that runs out mid-winter may need a relight and a safety check. Manufactured homes also need their skirting kept intact, since a gap lets wind chill the floor and the ducts beneath it.

West of the lake

Benalto lies out on the country roads west of Sylvan Lake, on the rolling parkland that runs toward the foothills. Homes this far from town can wait longer for service in a storm, so a fall tune-up, a spare filter on hand and a plan for a winter breakdown make sense.