The official start of winter is a couple days away, but the chill in the air has been around for a while now. Before the snow starts blowing here in central Virginia, take some time to prepare your home for winter with these simple tips.
Preparing Your Home For Winter Tip 1: Clean the Gutters
Now that all the leaves are off the trees, you can clean out the gutters to prevent them cracking during the winter. If the gutters are blocked by leaves, then water will pool in them. When the temperatures drop, the water will freeze and expand and could possibly burst the gutter. If you are not not excited to climb up on the ladder, contact me and I can pass along the names of some professionals.
Preparing Your Home For Winter Tip 2: Check your systems
Check the air filter in your furnace and replace if necessary. If your home uses gas, then test your carbon monoxide detector (You should test the smoke detectors while you are at it!) to ensure it is functioning properly. Also take a look at the vents for the water heater, fireplace, and other items to make sure that they are clear of debris and not blocked on the outside. Make sure the baffles in your home are positioned to allow the warm air to rise through your home.
Preparing Your Home for Winter Tip 3: Trim Tree Branches
Last winter in Locust Grove, a large snowstorm caused a week long power outage in the area because tree branches weighted down with snow pulled down power lines throughout the area. Keep your home from being damaged by falling branches by trimming the ones close to your home.
Preparing Your Home for Winter Tip 4: Turn Off Exterior Water
If you haven’t done it yet, turn off the water to all the exterior faucets around the outside of your home and drain them. You can add these insulating covers to provide more protection to the pipes. Remember to drain the water out of the hoses and store them for the winter too.
Preparing Your Home for Winter Tip 5: Keep the heat inside
Take a look at the seals along doors and windows. Check for cracks that will let the warm air inside escape. Seal these cracks with caulking and replace any worn weather stripping around doors and windows. With rising electric and gas costs, these little fixes can make a big difference.
Preparing Your Home for Winter Tip 6: Gather Winter Tools Now
Head into the garage and pull out snow shovels, salt, ice scrapers, and other winter tools you use and put them in an easy to reach spot. Doing this makes life so much easier when you’ve got some snow shoveling to do.
While these tips are simple things to do for preparing your home for winter, they can help you keep your house in good shape and money in your wallet during the cold weather.
