If you live in an area that experiences harsh and snowy winters, then you might be well aware of all of the things that can go wrong during the colder months. Snow and ice storms can cause plenty of issues while the constant fluctuation of temperatures could leave your home’s plumbing vulnerable to problems. The best way to keep your home safe from damage and other annoyances is to prevent issues in the first place. Having a proper home maintenance routine to follow during the winter months is the best way to keep it warm, dry, and functioning well. Now that we’re entering February, taking care of these items ASAP will help ensure a smooth rest of your winter. Here is a basic guide to get you started:
Check Up on Your Heater
The last thing that anyone needs during the winter is a broken or malfunctioning heating system. If you haven’t had yours looked at in a while, contact your local HVAC company for a quick inspection to make sure everything is running smoothly. Having a functioning and up-to-date heater installed in your home is necessary if you plan to list your home for sale––even if you just plan to sell your house for cash. Some other ways to make sure your home’s heating system is working is to regularly replace the air filters, have the ducts cleaned, and install a new and improved thermostat to help keep things running efficiently.
Make Sure Your Gutters are Clear
Gutters are important for directing water from rain and snow away from your home. This helps prevent flooding and other water damage. As the seasons go on, gutters tend to get clogged with leaves and other types of debris. Before the next snowstorm, carefully inspect the entirety of your gutters for anything that could block water from flowing. While you’re at it, you might also want to consider installing gutter guards which block loose debris from getting trapped in your gutters.
Add Additional Insulation
A home that’s poorly insulated isn’t just going to be hard to keep warm, it’s also going to be expensive to maintain. Your heater is going to work much harder to keep your house at a certain temperature if your home doesn’t have proper insulation. Additionally, poorly insulated homes are going to be worth less money to house buying companies. Some places to start include your attic, crawl spaces, windows, and doors! Glass windows and doors can be fixed up by adding some caulking around the exterior and some insulating strips to the glass itself.
Prevent Cracked Pipes
One common and difficult to fix problem is cracked or busted pipes. This happens when temperatures fluctuate too quickly, causing the metal to expand and contract and ultimately crack. This can be prevented by regulating the temperature inside your home to be no lower than 55 degrees at any time. Creating proper airflow is also helpful for pipe safety!
This winter, keep your home well maintained and happy. By creating a checklist and following it regularly, you’re doing your due diligence of preventing problems down the road, like cracked pipes. Further, according to top agent insights for 2022, this year is going to be another popular year to buy a house. A well maintained home is going to be a home that is easy to sell!
Thanks for sharing such helpful content! By the way, to prevent pipes from freezing, you could also insulate them. It’s also a great idea in terms of energy efficiency. By this, you can reduce heat loss by 25 to 45%!
Thank you for the article, from myself I want to add:
1. Close all ventilation vents in the plinth tightly.
Seal windows and doors.
2. If cracks appear in the outer walls of wooden block and log wooden houses, they must be caulked or insulated with special elastic mastics.
3. Inspect and, if necessary, repair the roofing, snow battens, gutters, and pipes of the roof gutter system.
4. Inspect the basement in order to identify the accumulation of water. Mosquitoes love to breed in such warm puddles in autumn and winter. If there is open water, then it must be filled up or, if for some reason this is not possible, then pour a teaspoon of kerosene onto the surface of the water surface
5. Examine the outside of the house for possible entry routes for rodents.
Thank you for sharing such a great guide! You’ve mentioned many good tips here, so I just want to add such a thing as inspecting windows. If you’ve noticed some cracks there, seal them. But sometimes simply sealing is not enough. Here are some things that signal it’s high time to replace windows:
1. The gaps are too big.
2. Mold and rot.
3. Condensate.
4. You hear whistling in windy weather.
Don’t neglect this, air leaks from bad quality windows can account for 30 percent of your home’s energy bill.
Thank you! Sure many will find this helpful.
Hi, I’ll just leave it here. Once my wife and I decided that it was time to keep up with the times, our house would eventually have to be renovated. So we hired a home remodeling team and discussed all the possible modernization ideas, considering color schemes, flooring and wall decor, new furniture ideas and even additions. And they don’t start a home remodel without the 3D design and rendering I’ve been fascinated by. thank you for the wonderful repair.
Good tips! Thank you!
Thanks for the good advice. I would also like to share useful information with you. This applies to buying or selling a house or apartment. I know good London Estate Agents. They helped me buy a wonderful house at a low price. Therefore, I recommend these agents to everyone.
A guide for winter homeowners. The blog post has a lot of technical information, but also some practical advice on how to keep a good grip on your home during the winter season. Neck Pain Specialist Adelaide