9 Things to Do as a Homeowner Before Winter
THE TIME IS NOW to begin planning for winter weather preparations. The winterization of your home will reduce energy consumption, keep you warm, extend the life of your home's systems, eliminate safety hazards, and save you so much more.
1. Inspect Your Home's Heating and A/C Systems
As temperatures drop, have your HVAC system inspected by a reputable contractor. Regularly servicing your furnace helps you catch problems before expensive breakdowns and keep it running more efficiently.
2. Flush & Insulate Your Water Tank
Make sure your water heater is in good working order — these should be flushed twice a year. Cut down on costs by wrapping the water heater in insulation and setting the temperature to 120 degrees.
3. Check the Seals on Exterior Wood
Rain, snow, and ice are especially rough on wood. Make sure the caulk is not cracked and your paint is not chipped or flaking away. If it is, scrape away the bad paint and old caulk and freshen it up!
4. Insulate Hot Water Pipes
Exposed pipes waste heat by cooling off the water running through them. You can easily insulate the hot water pipes by snapping foam sleeves onto them.
5. Make Sure All Safety Detectors Are Working
Most house fires happen in winter. Test all smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, etc. to make sure they are working and have good batteries.
6. Clean Out That Chimney
Get your fireplace cleaned and inspected before building those cozy fires. Make sure that when the fireplace is not in use, shut the flue.
7. Clean Out Your Gutters
Once the leaves are off the trees, clean the gutters. Blocked gutters can cause water to back up, overflow, and in freezing weather, turn to ice that tears gutters from the house.
8. Prepare Outdoor Water Pipes
Make sure your sprinkler system is properly shut down. Disconnect outdoor hoses, shut the water valve off to your outside spigot, then open the exterior spigot valve to let water drain.
9. Clear Dead Trees & Branches
Take a look at your trees and make sure they're still healthy. Trim branches away from your house before winter, so you don't have ice-coated branches against your siding or windows.
WINTER IS MAGICAL AND FUN — UNLESS SOMETHING EXPENSIVE GOES WRONG. THESE NINE THINGS CAN BE DONE QUICKLY AND EASILY TO PREVENT SO MUCH HASSLE.