Ready For Winter

Get Your Home Ready for Winter

Winter is here so when we get ourselves ready to go out we bundle up in our warmest coat, gloves, scarves, and long-johns. We are ready to battle the elements... but is your home? There are a number of inexpensive ways that you can improve your home's ability to keep out the cold. This week I will offer just a few of my favorite tips how to get your home ready for winter. Photo courtesy of FreeFoto.com

Tip #1 Clean out your gutters

If you haven't broken down and installed one of those nifty "gutter guard" types of devices you really need to get up there and clean out all those leaves and make sure that all of your downspouts are free to carry water off your roof and away from your home. This is important because in the really cold, wet, winter weather, if a gutter is clogged up the standing water will freeze and back up water or snow onto your roof where it can seep under the shingles. At the very least you may have a water spot on your ceiling and at the worst, after a few years you will develop rotting wood under your roof or in the frame of your home. This repair is quite expensive, so spend a little time now to make sure your gutters are doing their job and protecting your home.

Cleaning gutters from a latter can be a daunting task. There are a few devices which allow you to clean your gutters from the ground, such as the Gutter Wand, Eves Traugh Cleaner or, if you own a pressure washer you can purchase a flexible attachment and extension.

While you are thinking gutters, be sure to check that the water from your downspouts is directed well away from your foundation.

Tip #2 Stop Those Air Leaks

Wall outlets and switches on your outside walls let a lot of cold air in which forces your warm air out. An inexpensive solution to this problem is to install outlet and switch insulators. These little devices are simply thin foam insulators that you install behind your outlet and switch plate covers. Don't be afraid to install these yourself. All you have to do is remove the covers, place the insulator over the switch or outlet and reinstall the cover. Keep in mind that you only have to install these insulators on outlets or switches on outside walls, where the cold air can enter.

Another inexpensive fix for air infiltration is caulking or expanding foam. Check around the outside edges of your windows, electrical outlet boxes, doors, and caulk any little crack or hole that you see. Usually you can find caulk which will match the color of your trim close enough that it won't even be necessary to paint. Go into your attic and caulk or squirt a little expanding foam around any fixtures which might penetrate your ceiling. These include ceiling light electrical boxes, pipes, wires, or vents. Don't be tempted to place insulation around can lights. These lights get hot and must be allowed to release that heat to your attic. There are special can lights which are self vented and can be insulated if you want to go to the expense of having the older ones replaced. Check under your sinks. If the water and drain pipes are on an outside wall you should use a little expanding foam or caulk to seal these openings.

Tip #3 Have Your Heater Serviced

Some Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) services have an automatic Summer and Winter inspection and service offering. You pay one price annually, and they schedule to service your unit each Spring and Fall. This is a very good idea, you don't have to remember to call for the service and it gets done every year. Also be sure to keep extra filters for your central unit on hand and change them out every three or four months. When you install a new filter write the date on the paper border. By doing this you can quickly check your filter and tell how long it has been since it was last changed. There is much debate on what kind of filter to use. The home improvement stores and advertisements will tell you to buy the more expensive filters which filter down to a much smaller partial size but most HVAC installers will tell you to purchase the inexpensive kind and change them more often.

Tip #4 Cover Your Outdoor Faucets

If you live in an older home your outdoor faucets may be of an older style that just shuts off the water flow right at the faucet handle. This allows water in the pipe which is outside the home to be exposed to the cold weather and may freeze inside the pipe. Newer faucets have an extension inside the pipe which shuts off the water back inside the foundation and then drains the excess water from the faucet back to the shut off. If you have a hose attached to this type of faucet, when you turn off the water you will notice a spray of water from around the connection. This is the release of water trapped inside the pipe and the hose.

If you have the older style of faucets an inexpensive solution is to install insulators around each faucet. These nifty little insulators are all that it takes to keep your faucets from freezing and possibly bursting during cold winter nights.

Tip #5 Drain Your Hoses

Most of us leave our garden hoses outside on a wall hanger or on a reel all summer long where they are most convenient. Now is the time to bring them in so they will not freeze and burst. Before you do, first disconnect them from the faucet and lay them out straight. Remove any type of nozzle from the working end and raise one end above your head and "walk" the length of hose hand-over-hand to force any standing water out of the hose. This saves a puddle in your basement or garage once you bring your hose in from the elements. Photo courtesy of FreeFoto.com

Tip #6 Bring In Your Potted Plants

Potted plants are a real pain to keep alive through the Winter. If you plan to try, now is the time to bring them inside a basement, garage, or mud room to keep them from freezing. Remember, these plants are going to require regular watering throughout the Winter months, so be sure to place the plots into some sort of plastic tub or other container to catch the water which will drain out through the bottom. If you have real clay pots you should bring them out of the weather even if you dump the plants for the Winter. These pots absorb moisture which can freeze and crack your pots in the winter. Photo courtesy of FreeFoto.com

Tip #7 Winterize Your Motorized Summer Equipment

Drain the gasoline from all of your Summer power equipment such as lawn mowers or string trimmers. After you drain out the gasoline you should start the engine (yes, it will start) and let it run until it quits from lack of fuel. This only takes a few seconds and will burn any remaining fuel from the motor. Now is a good time to go ahead and change the oil and filter as well so your equipment will be ready for use next Summer. If you have a motorized leaf blower, you may want to wait until all of the leaves have finished falling before you winterize this piece of equipment.

Tip #8 Safety

Now is also a good time to change the batteries in your smoke detectors and Carbon Monoxide detectors. Also check the expropriation date on your fire extinguishers. Some extinguishers can be checked and recharged by your local fire department but most home extinguishers are "throw-away" types. Please don't be tempted to keep them around just because you don't want to spend a few dollars on a replacement. This is one thing that you really want to work if you need it. Now is also a good time to go over your safety evacuation plan with your family. If you don't have one, you should sit down and think of what you want each of your family members to do in the case of an emergency. Then go over this plan with them. A practice drill is a good idea if you have young children. If you just tell them what do do they probably won't remember in the case of an emergency but if they practice they will be more likely to repeat these actions if there is a real emergency.

There are many more great Winter tips on the Internet. If you want to learn more, just "Google" a search using the link, below.

Now, don't delay, Old Man Winter won't wait until you are ready.

Mr. Handsome