Winterize Your Home

When winter rolls around and the snow starts flying, if your home isn’t properly prepared, you might notice a higher heating bill or a chillier, less cozy house. If you make sure your house is winterized, however, then you can avoid both of these issues. It is best to get prepared before the coldest weather arrives.

This article will take you through all the preparations that are necessary for keeping your house nice and toasty warm this winter, and also for keeping everything preserved throughout the icy months.

Keep the Heat Inside 

The first action you can take, as well as one of the most effective, is putting plastic tightly around all the windows in your house. This can greatly reduce your heating bill by effectively sealing all the warm air inside your home. 

If your home has an attic, you should think about putting some time into insulating the space. This can greatly reduce your energy bill and keep your house much warmer. This is due to the fact that cold air sinks while hot air rises. This leads to all of the cold air that’s seeping into your attic traveling down to the main floors of your home.

If your home features a chimney, especially a damaged one, then it is necessary to buy a chimney balloon. This will seal off your chimney, greatly helping to reduce the amount of cool air coming in from the wintery outdoors.

Another thing you can do to keep the cold air outside is seal any external doors with a draft guard, and caulk them to make sure they are tightly sealed. You can also make your ceiling fans go counterclockwise to send the warmer air down toward the floor. 

Preserve Your Pipes

It is a smart idea to make sure your pipes are free of cracks or any other damage before the winter months. This is a way to prevent a pipe from bursting when it’s freezing outside. You can also insulate your pipes to avoid this problem. 

Another thing you can do is flush your water heater to make sure it’s nice and clean for the winter ahead. This can help it operate more efficiently.

If you have a garden hose, make sure to detach it completely. If there is still water in it, it will freeze during the winter and can result in frozen and burst pipes.

Inspection

One preventive measure you can take is making sure your heater is in working order and that the filter is clean or replaced with a new filter. You should also keep your heater well maintained with a regular inspection by an HVAC tech. 

Prevent Issues 

You should most certainly clean out your gutters before winter arrives. If you don’t, you can end up with mold growth in your gutters that can get inside your home. You will also put your gutters at risk of backing up when you need them the most.