5 Ways to Winterize Your Home

When winter is approaching, it’s always better to have your home ready for it than proceeding unprepared. The weather in the winter can be harsh, and your home needs to be set up to handle the cold temperatures for everyone’s comfort and safety – and to prevent damage to the home.

Fill in Any Cracks

When there are areas where the cold air can come in, it means using more energy to heat the home and can make it drafty inside. Use caulk to fill in and cracks and holes to keep the warm air in and the cold air out. It’s also important to assess whether you need weather stripping under your exterior doors or any sealing around spaces like air conditioners and windows. Caulk and weatherstripping are extremely inexpensive, so it’s easy to use them to winterize your home.

Maintain the Heating System

Chimneys, boilers, and furnaces need to have maintenance done every year. They need any buildup to be cleared out so that they can work efficiently. You may also need chimney repair before it gets too cold. For everyone’s safety and comfort, make sure you get the maintenance and repairs you need before the winter sets in.

Take Care of the Pipes

The pipes in your home can freeze if they are in areas that can get very cold. Before the winter starts, add some insulation to vulnerable pipes. When it’s below freezing outside, keep a thin stream flowing through a few of your faucets to keep them from getting too cold and bursting. Under sinks, it can be helpful to leave the cabinet doors open so that the pipes can be surrounded by warm air from the home’s heating system. It’s also a good idea to drain your hoses and to remove them from the wall to keep them from freezing and bursting.

Test Your Safety Equipment

It’s more likely to have a fire in the winter than at other times of the year, so it’s important to make sure your smoke detectors are working and have fresh batteries. It’s helpful to test them once a month to make sure they are still working. Make sure that you have a smoke detector in the kitchen as well as outside each bedroom. It’s also smart to have a working carbon monoxide detector in place. This should also be tested and have fresh batteries in it.

Preparing for winter is important! While winters may seem like a time of cozy fires, quiet snow days, and family, the winter months do actually bring a higher likelihood of fires. In fact, about 50% of home fires happen in the winter and are usually caused by heating equipment, space heaters, candles, and cigarettes. A good way to make sure you’re prepared for the winter is to make sure your smoke detectors are working and have fresh batteries. Visiting your local fire department to make sure your smoke detectors are up to code is also a great idea.

Inspect Your Gutters

If there is standing water in your gutters, they can freeze and cause damage to the gutters as well as the wall and even the foundation. When it rains, you need your gutters running clear so that the water drains as it’s supposed to: away from your house. It’s a smart choice to add gutter guards so that the gutters can’t be clogged up with leaves, twigs, and debris.

When you get your home ready for the winter before it’s cold, it’s often easier to get these chores done. Then, you can prevent the cold from wreaking havoc on your home.