Preparing Your Home for Winter
Tips + DIY

Preparing Your Home for Winter

Fall is in full swing, and soon winter will be arriving. We’ve put together some essential things to consider in preparing your home for colder weather.

Check the Heating

For about $80 to $100, a technician will inspect your furnace, heat pump, or heating unit to be sure the system is clean and in working order, and that it can achieve its manufacturer-rated efficiency. The inspection also measures carbon-monoxide leakage.

If you act soon, you’ll minimize the chance of being 200th in line for repairs on the coldest day of the year. 

Reverse your Ceiling Fans

If your ceiling fan has a reverse switch, use it to run the fan’s blades in a clockwise direction after you turn on your heat. Energy Star says the fan will produce an updraft and push down into the room heated air from the ceiling (remember, hot air rises).

This is especially helpful in rooms with high ceilings — and it might even allow you to turn down your thermostat by a degree or two for greater energy savings.

Check the Roof

Or at least scan it closely with binoculars. Look for damaged, loose or missing shingles that may leak during winter’s storms or from melting ice/snow.

Caulk Windows and Doors

Experts say that if the gaps between siding and window or door frames are bigger than the width of a nickel, you need to reapply exterior caulk. Cutting down on cold drafts into the home will help save energy costs, and also gaps tend to be filled with water and weather elements that further cause damage in cold temperatures.

Clean Gutters

If your gutters are full of gunk, water can back up against the house and damage roofing, siding and wood trim — plus cause leaks and ice dams.

You’ll typically pay $70 to $225 to clean gutters on a single-story house, depending on its size. Also look for missing or damaged gutters and fascia boards and repair them.

Exterior Faucets

Undrained water in pipes can freeze, which will cause pipes to burst as the ice expands. Start by disconnecting all garden hoses and draining the water that remains in faucets.

Its also recommended to keep these exterior faucets covered during the colder months.

Clean Chimney

Before you burn that warm cozy fire, make sure your fireplace (or any heating appliance burning gas, oil, wood or coal), chimney and vents are clean and in good repair. That will prevent chimney fires and prevent carbon monoxide from creeping into your home.

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