Make sure that your home is ready for winter. Check below to learn more about winterizing your home. The last thing that anyone wants in the winter is a frozen pipe or a heater that does not work.
While winterizing your home make sure to check your pipes and the insulation around them. This includes your hoses outside. If possible turn the water off to any outside taps and disconnect any hoses.
When the temperature drops, open the cabinets around the pipes in your kitchen and bathroom and let facets drip a little but to help keep pipes from freezing. This helps in a home that you are not occupied in all the time. Say, if you have a Lake house at Lake of the Ozarks and don’t get down there during the winter.
Apply caulk to your windows to help seal them and reduce unwanted drafts in your home. These can easily be removed if you need to open your windows during any other season, like Spring or Fall.
Use weather stripping and door sweeps to winterize your home and prevent drafts coming in through your doorways. This will also help any unwanted critters and bugs from getting underneath your doors and into your home.
Purchase a snow shovel before the first snow to save you time and money. Make sure you also pick up some deicing salts while your at it. Shovels and deicing salts can be twice as expensive when the snow has already hit the ground. If you have a snowblower make sure you get it serviced before the first snow of the year. If you don’t know how to maintain your snowblower call a professional.
Clean your wood stoves and fireplaces of any debris. This includes making sure that there are no nests or animals in your fireplace. If you are not comfortable cleaning out your fireplace please call a professional to clean the debris or remove animals and nests.
Change your filters and purchase a programmable thermostat to help save on heating costs over the winter. Also, make sure that you turn your heat on before the first big chill. It’s easier to get someone out to fix your heat in August than after the first big chill.
To learn more about winterizing your home and other thing your home might need in the winter check out these blogs.