Winterizing Tips - Protect Your Assets and Your Life!
The fall season is a time to wind down as days for many become cooler and the air crisper. With cooler temperatures of the winter months just around the corner, it is important to winterize your home so that you save energy and money. Your home is one of the biggest investments you will ever make and should be properly maintained to ensure its longevity. As fall requires some pre-winter prep, consider these 10 maintenance tips:
- Have your heating system checked by a professional annually to ensure that it’s working safely and efficiently. If you heat by wood, clean your fireplace or stove.
- Have your chimney flue checked for any buildup of creosote and then cleaned to lessen the risk of fire.
- Make sure your home is properly insulated. You may want to consider insulating walls and attic to help conserve energy.
- Caulk and weather-strip doors and windowsills to keep cold air out.
- Install storm windows or cover windows with plastic from the inside. This will provide an extra layer of insulation by keeping more cold air out.
- Inspect and flush your water heater.
- Clean gutters. Leaves and other debris will hamper drainage and may even be a fire risk.
- Replace batteries of smoke, heat and carbon monoxide detectors. If you did not do it when you set the clocks back, do it now.
- Reverse your fans. If your home has ceiling fans, know that they are there to help regulate your winter utility bills as well. Flip the switch so that the fans turn clockwise in the winter, and the fans will force down warm air to recirculate through the room.
- To keep pipes from freezing:
- Wrap pipes in insulation or layers of old newspapers
- Cover the newspapers with plastic to keep out moisture
- Let faucets drip a little to avoid freezing
- Know how to shut off water valves
Winterizing your home is an important yearly task that helps your house to better brave the elements and helps you to keep more money in your pockets.
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