During the winter season, our homes serve as our safe abode, shielding us from the harsh weather. To prevent damage from storms and wintry showers, proper winter preparation and maintenance is crucial. Let's explore these seven tips to prepare your house for winter.
1. Check Your Furnace
This inspection will ensure that the system is clean, in excellent repair, and capable of reaching the efficiency rating specified by the manufacturer. In the long term, you can save money by investing in a yearly servicing for your home heating system.
The checkup also detects the amount of carbon monoxide escaping. By carrying out this activity during the autumn, you will reduce the likelihood of being the 200th person in line for repairs on the day that is the coldest of the year.
2. Prevent Ice Dams
Implement preventative measures this year if your residence experienced excessive icicles or, more severely, ice dams during the previous winter, which contribute to the backflow of meltwater into your dwelling.
Identifying and fixing air leaks and inadequate insulation in your house's attic, which can lead to ice dams, is something that a home energy auditor or weatherization contractor knows how to do.
3. Reverse Your Ceiling Fans
After adjusting the temperature, utilize the reverse switch on your ceiling fan to rotate the blades clockwise. According to Energy Star, the fan will generate a breeze and introduce heated air from the ceiling into the room.
Aside from being very helpful in rooms with high ceilings, this may even enable you to reduce the temperature on your thermostat by one or two degrees, which will also result in more significant savings on energy costs.
4. Clear Your Gutters
Those gutters in your community should probably be cleaned out if the leaves have begun to fall in your neighborhood. When it is rainy or cold outside, clogged gutters can cause damage to many parts of the exterior of your home.
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5. Inspect Windows and Doors
If you live in a house with drafty doors and windows, trying to keep the place warm during the winter might be costly. Applying a small amount of caulk or weather stripping to any windows or entryways leaking will reduce the amount of money you spend on your yearly heating expenses.
6. Inspect Your Chimney
Be sure to get your chimney examined and cleaned before each burning season, even if you only use it for decoration. Creosote will accumulate on the interior of your chimney if you constantly burn wood. It is a highly explosive and cancer-causing substance.
Accordingly, a fire smoke might ignite it in your chimney if enough of it piles up. Thus, examining your chimney can help protect your family and your house from fire risks.
7. Cut Back Tree Branches
Snowfall during the winter months may be rather heavy, and if you are blessed with an ice storm, even the most robust tree limbs are at risk of breaking beneath the weight of the snow. Additionally, when a tree branch breaks, you may prevent damage to your roof by cutting back branches hanging over your house.
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