During the winter and coldest days of the year, we have to be diligent of certain outdoor tasks while taking advantage of the time to focus in indoor maintenance. From general around the house maintenance to furnace inspections, here is a low cost list for preparing your home for winter.
Exterior Preparation
- Clean your gutters – Clogged gutters can back up against the house damaging roofing, siding, and wood trim that may lead to further damage.
- Divert Water – Make sure the ground is graded to allow water to flow away from the foundation, adding extensions to down spouts is another practical solution.
- Turn off exterior faucets – Undrained water in pipes can freeze, and cause pipes to burst as ice expands.
- Mulch leaves instead of raking them – Mulching leaves instead of raking them will cut them into small pieces, allowing them to fall among the grass and decompose will nourish your lawn over the winter.
- Stow your mower – When you store your mower for the winter, any unused fuel will likely decompose, causing difficulties when you go to start it later.
- Hold pruning off till late season – Starting this process to soon can cause branches to dry out, and poor growth in the spring.
- Caulk the gaps – Any remaining gaps in siding, windows, or doors can be filled with caulk. For extra drafty windows and doors, caulk the inside too, pulling off moldings to fill all gaps in the insulation.
- Trim nearby trees – Snow and ice will weigh tree branches down, causing them to break and fall. This could lead to unexpected property damage.
Interior Maintenance
- Reverse your ceiling fan – Running your fan in reverse will create an updraft, circulating warm air near the ceiling with cooler air below.
- Check your alarms – Verify your smoke and CO alarms are working properly, and change the batteries.
- Insulate & repair frozen pipes – water pipes located in unheated garages and crawl spaces are prone to freezing temperatures causing them to burst.
- Chimney Sweep – Have combustibles and obstructions removed and inspected by a certified chimney sweep could prevent house fires.
- Plastic over windows – sealing plastic over drafty windows will stop cold air from infiltrating your home.
- Start your heating system – Have your central HVAC system professionally cleaned and inspected before the winter season hits will save energy and reduce chances of breakdown.
- Door Sweep – Installing a door sweep on the bottom of exterior doors could stop cold air drafts.
- Add insulation – experts say a minimum of 12 inches of insulation is recommended inside your attic.
Thanks for reading our blog post! We hope these ideas help you with your home comfort this winter. Please check back to our website for more heating and cooling information.