• November 5, 2019
  • News

Prepare Your Home For Winter With These 5 Tips

Sweater season is officially upon us and before we know so will snow and freezing temperatures. Fall is the perfect time to make and execute your winter home checklist. Prepare your home for winter before the trees become bare and the white stuff starts to fall.

Here are 5 tasks to take on this fall to prepare your home for colder weather.

Check Your Home’s Air Conditioning and Heating System

 

According to Justin Pierce, real estate investor and real estate agent experienced in renovating homes says that most heating and air systems typically last 12 to 15 years. “I see systems that are pretty much dead at 10 years and I see systems that are still going strong at 20 years. A lot of this has to do with how they’re maintained.”

Justin says that during this time you can at least change the filter or have a contractor inspect the system to make sure that when it gets cold, your heat is going to work the way it should.

 

Protect Your Pipes

 

We all know that when water freezes it expands. It can be disatrous when this happens inside your pipes. When pipes burst or crack the damage can cost from a few hundred to thousands of dollars to repair. Do your due diligence and winterize your pipes before the freezing temperatures arrive.

  • Drain outdoor faucets and sprinkler systems
  • Disconnect outdoor hoses and cover outdoor faucets with foam insulators
  • Seal or caulk any cracks that could let cold air in
  • Keep your thermostat set at a steady temperature, even at night
  • Use pipe insulation on pipes located in the attic and crawl space

 

Test Your Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

 

Both house fires and carbon monoxide incidence dramatically increase during the winter months. The U.S. Fire Administration estimates that about 890 people die in winter house fires each year. A new CDC report shows that most accidental carbon monoxide poisonings happen in January, and the second most in December.

 

  • Check the batteries on both your smoke alarm and your carbon monoxide detectors
  • Warm your car outside of your garage to prevent carbon monoxide from building up in your garage and getting into your home
  • Most fire alarms last around 1o years. Make sure you know when yours is set to expire
  • Don’t leave candles unattended or lit overnight
  • Know the signs of carbon monoxide. Most people report dizziness, headaches, light-headedness and extreme fatigue.

 

Add Insulation

 

As it gets colder, your heating bill gets hotter.  Here are some tips to keep it down this season.

  • Seal gaps around windows and doors with weather stripping or caulk
  • Jessica Dickler, CNBC, suggests adding fiberglass insulation to your attic floor and house walls. She claims this could get you savings up to 30 percent.
  • Replace outdated appliances with new, more efficient models
  • Install double pane Engerystar-rated windows

 

Clean Out Your Gutters

 

 
Your gutters have one job, to divert water away from your home. They also have other very important duties. They prevent erosion, staining to your homes exterior, protection of your landscape, basement flooding and more. Once the trees outside are looking bare, it’s time clear out your gutters.

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