4 Important Tips to Help You Prepare Your Home for Winter
Photo by NATHAN MULLET on Unsplash
Most people are in the habit of putting off their winter preparation until it is too late. This is not surprising seeing as we all prefer to relax in the summer and enjoy the unique beauty of the fall season.
However, now is the best time to start preparing for winter. This way you can save some money as all associated maintenance and repair costs of your heating system and insulation are usually lower. So, don’t delay. Start thinking of winterizing your homes now. Here is how to do that.
Inspect your Heating and Cooling System
During the winter nothing is more important than your heating system. This is what will keep you warm. Without it, you will probably freeze to death very quickly. Now that we’re no longer sure of the climate’s temperament –the Texas snowstorm early this year is a good example–it’s always better to be prepared.
So have a professional come. This is particularly important if you feel like the heating has been inadequate in previous years. Sometimes this inadequacy is caused by a smaller heating furnace.
One of the questions you want to ask the heating technician is “what size of furnace do I need for my house to be adequately and comfortably warm during the winter”? After a thorough assessment, the heating technician will be able to tell you if your system is inadequate or okay for the house and your heating needs.
Read: 4 REASONS WHY YOUR HOME IS SO COLD
Check Your Insulation
Sometimes the problem isn’t your heating system. If your home feels like it’s inadequately warm during the winter, it’s possible that you may have poor insulation. If there are any air leaks through your windows or your doors, it will cause your heating system to work extra hard to try and keep the house warm.
This is why you need to properly weatherproof your home and ensure that there are no drafts in your home. You probably don’t know this, but drafts can lead to a 20% increase in energy costs every year. So to insulate the house look for cracks particularly around windows, spaces around your doors, and gaps in your floorboards. Then fill them with caulk to seal up the openings and cracks.
Check the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Devices
Carbon monoxide is known as a silent killer. And since you will be indoors a lot during the winter, you need to make sure that your heating furnace or fireplace is not producing carbon monoxide.
Because carbon monoxide is odorless, the best thing you can do is to install carbon monoxide detectors –if you haven’t already. And if you have, check their state to make sure they’re in good condition. The same applies to your smoke detector. Make sure that they are both in tip-top condition so that you and your loved ones don’t end up inhaling toxic fumes.
Check Your Roof for Leakages
You need to make sure that there are no loose shingles or leaks coming from your roof. An early roof inspection can save you a lot of heartaches and physical discomfort during the winter. The easiest way to do this is to go on top of the roof and check for these.
Look for blistering, curling, or buckling shingles. If there are missing or broken shingles, you will need to replace them. And if you’re scared of heights your best bet is to have a handyman or, even better, an expert from Owens Corning Roofing, come to the house and check out your roof for you.
Read: SOLAR POWER: THE PROS, CONS, AND MYTHS
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