Is Your Home Ready for Winter?
Yes, it's the beginning of September, but winter will be here before we know it. The following list will give you some useful tips to make sure your home is ready for the colder months.
Furnace Inspection
Your first order of business is to call an HVAC professional to inspect your furnace and clean ducts. It's also a good idea to stock up on furnace filters and change them monthly. Consider switching out your thermostat for a programmable one. If you do, you'll want to make sure you purchase one you will use. Updating it accordingly will help you remain comfortable in your home and potentially slash your energy bill by a significant amount. Its benefit is that you can set this type of thermostat by season.
If your home is heated by a hot-water radiator, bleed the valves by opening them slightly and when water appears, close them. Remember to remove all flammable material from the area surrounding your furnace.
Check the Exterior, Doors, and Windows
This step is critical for your health and safety. Inspect the exterior for crevice cracks and exposed entry points around pipes; seal them. Use weatherstripping around doors to prevent cold air from entering the home and caulk windows. Replace cracked glass in windows; if you end up replacing the entire window, prime and paint any exposed wood. If your home has a basement, consider protecting its window wells by covering them with plastic shields. Switch out summer screens with glass replacements from storage.
If you have storm windows, install them.
Inspect Roof, Gutters, and Downspouts
If your local temperature will fall below 32 degrees in the winter, adding extra insulation to the attic will prevent warm air from creeping to your roof and causing ice dams. Check flashing to ensure water can't enter your home. Consider replacing worn roof shingles or tiles. Clean out the gutters and use a hose to spray water down the downspouts to clear away debris. You may also want to install leaf guards on the gutters or extensions on the downspouts to direct water away from the home.
Service Weather-Specific Equipment
These measures help you keep tools ready when you will inevitably need them. Service or tune-up snow blowers. Replace worn rakes and snow shovels. Sharpen ice choppers and buy bags of ice-melt or sand. For equipment that you use in the other seasons, like a lawn mower, make sure to drain the gas to avoid rust. Clean, dry, and store summer gardening equipment.
Prevent Plumbing Freezes
Locate your water main in the event you need to shut it off in an emergency. Drain all garden hoses. Insulate exposed plumbing pipes. Drain air conditioner pipes, and if your AC has a water shut-off valve, turn it off. If you go on vacation, leave the heat on, set to at least 55 degrees.
Prepare Landscaping and Outdoor Surfaces
A winter storm can ravage the outdoors to such an extent that you can experience devastating effects in your surrounding area and while you're in your home. Trim trees if branches hang too close to the house or electrical wires. Ask a gardener when your trees should be pruned to prevent winter injury. Seal driveways, brick patios, and wood decks. This is more for the aesthetics if it's to your liking, but don't automatically remove dead vegetation from gardens as it sometimes provides attractive scenery in an otherwise dreary, snow-drenched yard.
And remember to move sensitive potted plants indoors or to a sheltered area. You can also plan ahead for spring. Plant spring flower bulbs and lift bulbs that cannot winter over, such as dahlias, in areas where the ground freezes.
