3 Must-Dos to Prepare Your Home for Winter

 

Preparing For The Chilly Temperatures

For those who live in areas where winter means a whole lot of snow and chilly temperatures, then you understand a few preparations need to occur in order to make the winter pass safely. While you no longer have to worry about harvesting food like your ancestors to last through the winter, you do need to put in a little extra work to ensure your home is ready to withstand the cold temperatures. There are usually quite a few deaths attributed to the freezing temperatures every year. Typically, these are older individuals who fell asleep and their heater quit working. This was an incident that could have been avoided if they had taken the time to ensure that their house was prepared for winter. To make sure that your house is ready, consider these three tasks to have your house able to withstand the winter.

1. Check Your Heater

HVAC units are especially important during the winter and summer months. Since the AC was likely running during the summer, your heater was collecting dust. As with most things, when they're not in use--or are being overused--then they are likely to fall in disrepair. As the temperatures start to decrease, you should have a professional take a look at your heater to make sure that all of its inner mechanical devices are in top working order. Usually, the heater mainly needs a good clean to keep it running smoothly. If your heater is older, however, it may be about time to have certain parts replaced or to have an entirely new one installed.

For those who want to take the chance with their heater working without having it checked out by a professional, then you may want to invest in a propane space heater. These can be lifesavers should the heater stop working during a particularly cold period. Each heater should be placed in a bedroom or hall beside a bedroom to ensure you're warm through the night.

2. Secure Access Points

Another aspect of surviving the winter and making sure your home can help you do that is to check the vulnerable areas of your home. These are the spots where your windows and doors are located. As temperatures change, these areas expand and shrink in response. That can often dislodge the windows and doors from their original resting place. Because of this, warm air can escape through the tiny cracks. Not only does this mean less warm air for your family, but it can also drive up your energy bill. You're essentially trying to warm up a house that allows that warm air to escape. To prevent yourself from wasting this precious money, you can easily take a candle and check the areas around the window and door for any drafts.

If drafts are noticed, then buy a weatherstrip and have it installed along the door and window. This will stop the warm air from escaping your home as well as keep the cold air from entering.

3. Protect Your Pipes

One of the worst things that can occur during the winter is when a pipe freezes and ends up bursting. For those who regularly use all of the pipes in your home, you may not face this problem. For those who tend to go on vacation during the winter, either for a few days or months, it's a real concern. To make sure your pipes make it through the winter without bursting, you should have a set temperature of your home that you don't change. This allows the pipes to remain consistently warm. You should leak out water consistently throughout the day to keep the pipes active and unclogged. It's also not a bad idea to spread your showers throughout the day as that can keep your pipes warm and used. Finally, eliminate those drafts!