Cold weather is around the corner - Tips for Winterizing your home.
Whether or not you’re a fan of cold weather, one thing is inevitable: winter is coming.
As a home owner it’s important you take precautionary steps in winterizing your house to prevent damage and add winter-comfort. Here are some ways you can winterize your home before it’s too late.
#1 INSPECT YOUR HOME FOR LEAKS OR CRACKS
The first and foremost step to winterizing your home is to inspect the interior / exterior for any cracks and / or leaks. You’ll usually find these on:
window sills
concrete foundation
stucco exterior
broken window latches / locks
Seal these using the appropriate method. For caulking, remember that it’s done ideally in a warm setting i.e. inside your home, although durable outside brands are also available.
#2 TEST YOUR FURNACE
Put your furnace through its paces before the cold comes. There will be a strange, short-lasting smell once turned on; simply aerate the area to remove the smell.
If the odour persists, turn it off and call a furnace professional to come and look at it. There may be something wrong with your furnace and it needs to be fixed as soon as possible!
There’s no substitute for checking and maintaining your furnace, which in turn heats your home. It definitely is one of the most important parts of winterizing your home before the cold.
#3 GET A FURNACE INSPECTION OR CLEANING
It’s never a bad idea to have your furnace inspected and cleaned on an annual basis as is. Doing so makes sure your furnace is in tip top shape for many winters to come.
#4 BY FILTER FURNACES IN ADVANCE
It’s convenient to stock up on furnace filters before the cold and check the one that’s being used regularly during the winter.
A dirty filter will impede the efficiency of your furnace by restricting air flow, and in dire cases may cause a fire.
Different filters need to be changed at different intervals, but its usually somewhere between every two to three months. Many people switch it out every six months.
#5 CLEAN YOUR EAVES TROUGHS
Get on the roof carefully with your tool of choice (a spatula, broom or your hand with a set of gloves works great) and remove clutter from your eaves trough.
If possible, grab the hose and spray out any remaining residue assuming that the weather outside isn’t cold enough to cause ice problems along your walkways.
Cleaning your eaves trough will prevent ice blockages which may cause snow and water run off to drain towards the foundation of your house.
Pools of water in such areas can freeze and cause foundational problems that are super expensive to fix.
#6 POINT DRAIN PIPES AWAY
Make sure your gutter spouts drain properly without blockage and carry water well away from the foundation of your home.
As mentioned above, water collecting near your home’s foundation is a threat to its structural integrity.
Water expands when it freezes; therefore, if it seeps into the concrete cribbing of your home through a crack and solidifies, it may make that crack even bigger.
Foundational issues are some of the most expensive problems to fix for home owners. Avoid such issues caused by freezing water by following this step to winterize your home.
#7 TURN UP THE HEAT A BIT
If you plan on leaving your home for an extended period of time, turn the heat up a little bit.
It might be -15 Celsius one day but drop to -30 Celsius the next, so that added heat will help prevent pipes from bursting while you’re gone.
Even if you’re not going away, a little more heat will help you stay cozy and warm at home, assuming there are no serious issues with your furnace or leaks to the outside.
Also check with your insurance company on what your exact policy is. This is important because not all insurance policies cover what you would think.
#8 KNOW WHERE THE WATER SHUT OFF IS
Let’s say a pipe does become frozen and it causes a back up of water flow in your basement. Now your basement is flooding, and you need to know where to turn the water off quickly.
With that in mind, take some time to locate where the main water-valve is in your home. In Canada this valve is usually in the basement somewhere.
Make sure to label it somehow just in case you aren’t home and a family member or roommate needs to turn the valve off instead.
Knowing where the main water shut-off valve is could save you a big mess, and lots of money while you’re at it
#9 REVERSE YOUR CEILING FAN
Consider installing a car starter if you don’t have one already, especially if you park outside.
There’s nothing better than warming up your ice-cold car before getting inside of it every morning.
Or, if you’re in a garage you could always buy a block heater that would keep your car moderately warm come work time.
#10 BUY DE-ICER AND SAND
Stock up on some bags of sand and ice melt to spread on your walkways. This way you’ll have a much less likely chance of getting sued by your friends and family – just kidding!
Some jurisdictions also have bylaws that require you to remove snow and ice from your walkways and sidewalks along your property. De-icer helps melt tough ice that is otherwise hard to remove.
Another great trick to winterize your home and make it more visitor friendly is to buy a proper ice scraper. This leads us to our next winterizing tip.
#11 CHECK YOUR WINTER EQUIPMENT
Replace any worn snow shovels and brooms. Also consider getting an ice scraper to remove that nasty ice on the driveway / walkways that we’ve all had a slip and fall on at one point or another.
#12 OPEN BLINDS OR DRAPES ON SUNNY DAYS
While the weather outside might be frightful, the sun still carries a lot of heat over the winter months. So open the blinds and bask in the free heat. But be sure to close them as soon as the sun goes down to keep warm air in the room.
#13 USE HALOGEN BULBS
The light bulbs you choose make a huge difference when it comes to how much energy you use. EPCOR suggests replacing traditional light bulbs with halogen bulbs because halogen lighting uses up to 40 per cent less energy than traditional bulbs.