Winter is finally here. You can tell by the leafless trees, early nights, and layer of frost in the morning. If you haven’t winterized your home yet, it isn’t too late. Follow these winterization tips to keep your home safe, efficient and warm this winter.
Your furnace has been dormant all summer. To get it ready for another heating season, request a visit from a qualified technician to evaluate, clean and tune up the equipment. The most affordable way to keep your heating system in tip-top shape over the years is to sign up for a Maintenance+ membership.
Hire a professional to inspect and clean your wood-burning stove or fireplace once a year. This service takes care of ash, soot and creosote buildup, which can cause chimney fires. It also gives you peace of mind that the masonry, chimney liner, crown, and other fireplace components are in suitable condition.
As you start to run your furnace all winter, search for and seal air leaks that enable cold outdoor air to get inside. The easiest way to discover leaks is to hold a lit candle or incense stick all around areas that might be leaky, like near windows and doors, recessed light fixtures, plumbing penetrations and electrical outlets. Then, seal the leaks you find with weatherstripping, caulk, foam gaskets and expanding spray foam.
Ceiling fans keep you cool over the summer, but they can also disperse warm air down to the living space during the winter. For better results, set your fans on low and run them in reverse. This tactic is most effective in stairwells and rooms with high ceilings.
Another way to winterize your home is to trade out light, summery window coverings for thick, insulating drapes. Be sure to pull back the drapes during the day so the sun continues warming your home for free. Then, close the curtains after dark for increased insulation against the cold night air.
As the temperature drops, exposed pipes are at risk of freezing and bursting. Add foam pipe insulation to plumbing in the garage, crawlspace or unfinished basement to prevent this. Electric heat tape under the insulation provides an extra layer of protection in particularly frigid climates.
Sealing up your house, baking more and heating with combustion appliances raises the risk of home fires and carbon monoxide poisoning over the winter. Be careful with matches, candles and other open flames, and make sure your smoke alarms are working. Then, install CO detectors on every floor of your home, especially outside sleeping areas. Test your alarms monthly and change the batteries twice yearly.
Do you still have an old analog thermostat? You could save on heating bills this winter by getting a programmable model. Pre-programmed settings optimize the temperature at various times of the day, so you can set it and forget it. A Wi-Fi thermostat is a high-tech option that lets you change the settings remotely with an internet-enabled device. You also benefit from automatically generated energy reports and maintenance recommendations.
Ice dams are ridges of ice that appear along the eaves, preventing melted snow from draining off the roof. Left unaddressed, ice dams can allow water to get under the shingles and damage structures in the attic. Follow these tips to prevent ice dams this winter:
Slips and falls are more common in icy winter weather. Keep your sidewalks and driveway safe by scattering salt, kitty litter or chemical deicer along the pavement to melt the ice and snow. Remember to read the directions for proper application tips and recommended precautions.
Many winterization tips relate closely to your home heating, cooling,and plumbing systems. If you need help winterizing your home, call BW/Cook Service Experts. We offer affordable furnace maintenance and repair, plumbing work, and other services to prepare your home for cold weather. For more details about our services or to {request|schedule|arrange]] an estimate, please contact your local BW/Cook Service Experts office today.
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