THE TIME IS NOW to begin planning for winter weather preparations. The winterization of your home will reduce energy consumption, keep you warm, extend the life of your home’s systems, eliminate safety hazards, and save you, and so much more…
9 WAYS TO GET YOUR TEXAS HOME WINTER READY:
- INSPECT YOUR HOME’S HEATING AND A/C SYSTEMS
As the temperatures are dropping, it’s time to have your HVAC system inspected by a reputable HVAC contractor. This is something that can be so easy to overlook, but so terrible if something goes wrong (even more so in the cold!!!) Regularly servicing your furnace helps you catch problems before expensive breakdowns, extend the furnace’s life, and keep it running more efficiently.
- FLUSH & INSULATE YOUR WATER TANK
Step one? Make sure your water heater is in good working order. (PSSSS…these should be flushed twice a year and preferably before winter begins so that they are ready to be used.) Cut down on costs and save on fuel use by wrapping the water heater in a blanket of insulation and setting the temperature to 120 degrees.
- CHECK THE SEALS ON EXTERIOR WOOD
The exterior wood trim on your home needs to be protected from the elements. Rain, snow, and ice are especially rough on wood. Replacing rotted trim can get VERY expensive…In order to avoid having to spend lots of money on these repairs once it’s too late, you should be sure to conduct a yearly inspection. Make sure that the caulk is not cracked and your paint is not chipped or flaking away. If this happens to be the case, scrape away the bad paint and old caulk and freshen it up!
- INSULATE HOT WATER PIPES
Exposed pipes waste heat by cooling off the water running through them. As the temperature drops, so does the water temperature in your pipes! This makes your water heater work extra hard to try and keep up (which can skyrocket your bills!!) You can easily insulate the hot water pipes in your crawl space by snapping foam sleeves onto them.
- MAKE SURE ALL SAFETY DETECTORS ARE WORKING
DID YOU KNOW? Most house fires happen in winter. It is SO important to make sure to test all of your smoke detectors, carbon monoxide dectors, etc. to make sure they are working and that they have good batteries. If your home does not have carbon monoxide detectors, consider getting some!!
- CLEAN OUT THAT CHIMNEY
There is nothing that feel smore magical and wintery than having a rumbling fire to snuggle up by…get your fireplace cleaned and inspected before you start building those cozy fires. A chimney sweep company will make sure the fireplace is safe to use, and it can also identify maintenance problems. Heated or air rises and escapes when you leave the fireplace damper open!! Make sure that when the fireplace is not in use, shut the flue.
- CLEAN OUT YOUR GUTTERS
Once the leaves are off the trees, it’s time to clean the gutters. Gutters can back up and overflow, and when they overflow, that water runs down your home, speeding up the deterioration of your exterior. If channels are blocked and the weather gets freezing, water will turn into ice and add weight to the gutters, which could cause them to tear away from the house- such a costly fix that is easy to prevent!
- PREPARE OUTDOOR WATER PIPES
Dealing with a burst water pipe is every homeowner’s fear. Make sure your sprinkler system is properly shut down for the season and your outside water faucet is protected from the elements. forgetting to check this can cause them to freeze over in winter and could flood under your floors.
STEP ONE- Disconnect outdoor hoses and shut the water valve off to your outside spigot.
STEP TWO- Go outside, open the exterior spigot valve and let the water drain out of the line.
- CLEAR DEAD TREES & BRANCHES
Once all of the leaves fall, take a look at your trees and make sure they’re still healthy, especially trees that could fall on your home or a neighbor’s home. If there are branches up against your house, it’s a good idea to trim them away before winter, so you don’t have ice-coated branches against your siding or windows.
WINTER IS MAGICAL AND FUN… UNLESS SOMETHING EXPENSIVE GOES WRONG. LET’S KEEP THE HOLIDAYS COZY, SPECIAL, AND DAMAGE FREE. THESE NINE THINGS CAN BE DONE QUICKLY AND EAISLY- AND PREVENT SO MUCH HASSLE.
