Preparing your home for winter
/Have you prepped your home for the cold and rainy season yet? This time of the year is by far the most dangerous for any home in the northwest. The constant rainfall can create and exploit any flaws, cracks, or gaps in your home and do serious damage, while the cold can accelerate current problems, and do severe damage to your plumbing. Fortunately, there are plenty of proactive measures that can be taken to limit and prevent damage to your home! Here is what we suggest!
Plumbing Safety Tips
Your pipes are quite vulnerable during the winter. Wrapping them with heating tape for is one way you can add an extra layer of protection. If you have unfinished rooms like a sun room or a garage with exposed pipes, insulate these spaces as best as you can. You should examine your pipes for leaks and cracks at the start of every winter. If you detect any damage, have it repaired right away so you can avoid the massive headache of dealing with a burst pipe.
Keeping your thermostat at 55 degrees or higher is typically warm enough to protect your pipes against freezing. If it gets really cold out, let some cold water drip from your faucets, especially if they are served by exposed pipes. This drip will help prevent the pipes from freezing.
If you have any exterior water valves and water hoses, shut off those pipes, drain the hose, and safely store the hose in your garage for the remainder of winter.
HVAC and Heating tips and Maintenance
You should schedule maintenance on your HVAC, fireplace, and water heater at this time. Your heating system can accumulate some minor damages over the course of a year that aren’t apparent at first. Running your HVAC or fireplace while damaged can quickly escalate these damages, potentially breaking them or even leading to a fire. Remember to change your heating filter on a regular basis to ensure that your system is operating efficiently and emitting clean air.
Seal up Your Home
Sealing up your home can save a LOT of money on your energy bill as well as prevent water damage. You should check all entry points to your home, such as doors, a garage door, and windows. These are the most common locations for there to be a draft in a home. If you can tell the air is colder around one of these entry points, it is very little trouble to have a professional properly insulate or patch up the area in question.
Other likely areas for cold air to get into your home is from rim joists, and cable, wire, or pipe entry points to your home. These areas can easily be sealed up using expandable foam and caulking.
The costs of making some of these repairs to your home are incredibly minimal, and can save you a lot of trouble AND cash! Give us a call today and let us help you get your home well-prepared for the cold and rainy season ahead of us!