Winterizing Your Home

We all know that the winter months in the southern states are nowhere near as rough as up north. But that doesn’t mean that you should ignore preparing your home for winter in Texas altogether.

Here are a few tips to help winterize your home for the coming winter weather…

Prepare a kit in the event of a power outage. Include things to keep you warm along with batteries, flashlights, and so on. It’s also a good idea to keep the number for your HVAC company handy, in case the furnace goes out on the coldest night of the year.

If you’ve got a fireplace, make sure that it’s stocked with wood and the chimney is clean.

Tune-up your HVAC system. Most HVAC providers offer pre-season checkups that can help you avoid unpleasant surprises when you need your furnace the most. Also, be sure to change your furnace filter regularly!

Prep the plumbing, and don’t forget the area underneath the house if you have a crawlspace. Consider putting insulation around your pipes to protect them against a freeze.

Take advantage of your mudroom, if you have one, or create another dedicated space in the house to keep winter shoes and coats in one spot.

Clean your gutters and check for debris to ensure that water drains away from your home. Water that pools on your roof during the winter can freeze, leading to serious roof damage.

Keep your plants healthy through the winter months. Bring potted plants inside and cover outside plants with a frost cloth, which you can pick up at your local garden center or hardware store.

Weatherproof your backyard items. Here in North Texas, we love a good barbecue, but you won’t be using that grill during the winter months. If you can’t bring it inside, you’ll want to cover it – along with any lawn furniture – while it’s not in use.

Shut off your sprinkler system over the winter and keep an eye on it to prevent lines from freezing. Even if you have freeze sensors or other failsafe’s, it’s a good idea to drain the main line and turn off any auto schedules or other timers.