How To Prepare Your Home For The Winter Season
When seasons change, so should your home. Particularly, if the winter weather sets in, expect chilling winds, rainstorms, or possibly a blizzard to come through your area. Due to these natural forces, you may need to prepare your home throughout the winter season.
For some, prepping their houses for winter may seem difficult; they may be unsure where to begin. Fortunately, this post can serve as your guide for winterizing your home. In the end, you’ll see it can be a relatively easy work if done in advance.
Without further ado, here are some measures you can take to ensure that you, your family, and your property are prepared for the cold, snowy months ahead.
- Winterize Your Heating Systems
During the cold season, heating systems are absolute lifesavers. When winter arrives, they assist in keeping you warm and comfortable indoors, as well as protected from the freezing wind!
To begin, do a test on your heating systems. If nothing’s wrong with it, replace it with a fresh, clean air filter. Ensure that you follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Next, make sure your fuel storage tank is full and set to work. After that, take some time to inspect the exhaust system for any carbon monoxide leaks. Lastly, check your heating system’s exhaust ports. Keep the vents clear of blockages so that the furnace may perform at its best.
You can click for radiant floor heating systems and learn more about the latest and most energy-efficient heating options available. Radiant floor heating is a popular choice for homeowners as it provides even heat distribution, is energy-efficient, and does not take up much space.
Furthermore, if you don’t have a functional heating system at home, you may want to consider investing in a smart thermostat. Some users believe that an electric baseboard thermostat or any other programmable thermostat is more convenient and accurate than traditional thermostats.
- Inspect The Exteriors Of Your House
An essential factor of winterizing your home is ensuring that your first line of defense–your home’s exterior–is prepared to withstand the harsh winter weather. Strong winds, freezing rain, or snow, for example, can damage the external decor outside your house or in your yard. Hence, protect them!
To safeguard your home against the harsh winter elements, here’s a checklist that will serve as your reference:
- Do A Roof Inspection
Among all the parts of your home, the roof is the most crucial line of defense from strong weather. Regardless of the season, roofs can be significantly affected by strong weather. Hence, make sure to consult a roofing specialist to check it.
- Repair Or Replace Damaged Siding
Does your house currently have a breaking, discoloring, or faulty siding? If you answered yes, you’d better have it fixed before winter arrives! Not only is it unattractive, but it may also be an expensive mistake to deal with once the cold season comes.
- Keep Exterior Pipes Turned Off
Imagine what happens when your exterior pipes burst in the middle of a freezing day of winter. Tragic, isn’t it? That will be a mess to clean up, and your plumbing expenses will almost certainly be quite hefty. Hence, to avoid such incidence, have your pipes cleaned and turned off before the cold season.
- Clean Out The Gutters
Any frozen water or debris can cause significant damage to your home. This is why cleaning your gutters is essential. A frozen gutter can shatter, causing damage to the exterior, roofing, and interiors of a house. So, if you think your gutters won’t be adequate for the upcoming winter season, contact gutter specialists for gutter repair or replacement.
- Seal Your Windows Properly
It’s critical to ensure that both the interior and outside of your windows are properly sealed. This helps to prevent freezing rain from leaking into your home’s fissures. Not only that, but it could harm your base, siding, and interior framing, too. Thus, if you think your windows are incapable of protecting you from the elements this winter, don’t hesitate to see a contractor.
- Invest In A Backup Generator
While generators sound too expensive for some, it’s actually a great remedy in case a winter storm blows out your home’s power for days. If you’re thinking about getting one or already have one, make sure it’s appropriately set up, fueled, and ready to go when an emergency happens.
- Place Covers On Hard Floors
Do you have hardwood, tile, or plain concrete flooring? If so, covering them with rugs or carpets is a quick and effective way to prepare your space for the winter season. This is because hard flooring is prone to become cold, which may cause discomfort for your family. As a result, they may not even want to move around the house freely.
Additionally, rugs can retain heat. So, whether you have underfloor heating or not, you can still move around freely and comfortably. This step not only keeps you warm during the winter but it may also make your home look more stylish and appealing.
Endnote
Whether you enjoy cold weather or not, it’s critical to prepare for and safeguard your property from possible disasters. To actively prepare yourself, your family, and your home, be guided by the simple steps above. At the end of the day, it’s your household that’ll benefit from the comfortable and warm home you prepared.
