Built for NE Ohio winters
Struthers sits low along the Mahoning River in the valley — inland of the heaviest lake-effect but in for long, damp cold November through March and a 42-inch frost line. Older balloon-framed homes close to the river lose heat fast and run cold and clammy, so heating systems here work hard all season and the consequences of a no-heat night are real. The frost line here is about 42 inches and hard-freeze season runs November through March, so heating equipment in Struthers works longer and harder than it would almost anywhere else — and the cost of a no-heat call in February is a lot higher than an inconvenience.