Winter is coming and home is the best place to stay to feel cozy and warm. To make sure that your house is completely prepared for cold winter months, and doesn’t feel like you are in the castle of Queen Elsa from the movie “Frozen“, of course, you need to check some guidelines. This article will give you specifications to avoid inconvenience during wintertime.
Here are the guidelines that you need to check if your house is well prepared for the cold season.
11 Ways to Prepare Your Home for winter
1. Don’t Forget About the Furnace
On a yearly basis, you hear about someone’s heater going out during the coldest days, so before it arrives, turn on the furnace and make sure it is correctly running. If you have an older furnace, you may need to call out a technician to make sure it will make it through winter. It may cost money, but it’s better to be prepared than to be sorry.
Don’t just check the furnace once, but check it multiple times. The air filter may become clogged and need to be replaced. Other factors such as low fuel supply, carbon monoxide leaks, or vents being clogged can happen at any time.
2. Insulate
Insulation will help stop warm air from escaping in the attic or basement. It helps with heat and prolongs the furnace. This might be a difficult task for beginners but it will save you more money in the long run.
3. Seal Gaps
Another way to keep the heat in your house from escaping is to seal gaps. Gaps on walls and windows can be sealed with caulk. Also, use this time to remove the old caulk that may have fallen out and resealed with the new caulk. Gaps in the doors will need to be fixed with weatherstripping. Weatherstripping is easy to apply and stays on for months. Caulking and Weatherstripping are cheap and easy ways to keep the heat from escaping out of your house.
4. Clear Away Clutter
During the winter months, our friends from outside move their way into our houses. They like to move into our clutter to stay warm. Removing the clutter now will stop animals and bugs from entering your house. While removing clutter, this is a great time to remove items that you no longer use. Hiring a professional local junk removal service is a great way to go about preparing your home for the winter, clearing unwanted trash, and creating a friendly atmosphere for your home.
5. Take Care of Water Pipes
Water pipes can take some damage during the winter. Busted water pipes can lead to water leaks and potentially mold. If water pipes are exposed, make sure you insulate them. Exterior Faucets should be covered with an insulation cover during freezing temperatures.
6. Clean Up The Clutter Outside
The outside of the house can clutter up especially during the fall. Leaves and branches can cover up gutters and vents can become clogged.
Gutters- If gutters are not cleaned during the winter, the water will stay in the gutter and freeze. This will cause the gutter to become heavy and potentially break off of the house.
Vents – Clogged vents can cause gases to stay in the house. Make sure you check and clean the vents. If vents are inaccessible, you need to call a professional to vacuum out the vent.
7. Trim Trees
As mentioned before, water can freeze during the winter and cause objects to become heavier. Tree branches are known for becoming icy and falling down onto houses and power lines during the winter. Branches that hang over the roof are pathways for animals to get into the attic. To prevent this from happening, cut back long branches, and remove old branches. Branches may be too high to reach and to be safe you will need to call an expert to trim back the trees.
8. Check The Roof
While cleaning the gutters on your house, inspect the roof for damage or missing shingles. Replacing the shingles will keep your home safe from leaks and animals.
9. Clean and Clear Out The Chimney
Before you can enjoy the fire, you will need to inspect the chimney. During the warm months, birds, squirrels, and other critters create their nest in chimneys. Not clearing out the nest and obstructions will keep smoke from exiting the house.
Not only do you have to clear out the chimney but you will need to have it cleaned. Over time fires can cause build up along the interior of the chimney. If this is not cleaned out, it can lead to a house fire. Consider hiring a professional because cleaning out a chimney is not an easy task.
10. Inspect Detectors
Heating our homes during the winter can come with the higher potential of carbon monoxide poisoning, smoke, and fires. Double-check your detectors to see if they are working correctly by pressing the test button on the detector or taking the batteries out and putting them back in.
11. Check Your Floors
During the summer months, water and moisture can accumulate and will need to be addressed. If there is severe damage, your flooring might need to be replaced. Check that your floors are in good condition. If they are not, you will have to purchase new flooring. You can have floor installers come to the home to replace your floors before the weather is bad and it’s difficult.
12. Snow removal services
Our snow plowing and ice removal services include a complete snow and ice removal service for industrial, retail, and residential property.
Snow removal is not everyone’s cup of tea. But we as Snow Removal experts offer you an all-inclusive package for assistance. You can rely on us to handle your property this winter season and in turn helps to keep your outdoor environment snow free! We are locally owned and operated with the goal of providing best services.
We take snow removal seriously, so you can relax knowing your property will be accessible and safe. We offer customized services to meet the needs of almost any customer.
Conclusion
It’s important to do certain things and properly prepare your home for the winter months. This will give you peace of mind during frosty seasons. In addition, it is not only cold months that you have to check your home, it would be better to make sure to always check your home to give you assurance of being well prepared and safe at all times.
