Winterizing your house

Preparing your home for the winter is essential. In addition to living comfortably during harsh temperatures, wintering would also help prolong the life of your home and avoid problems in the future.

The preparation of your home for the winter can be done by a plumber, an electrician or a professional contractor. However, there are other things you can do yourself. How do you prepare your house for the winter? Here are some things to keep in mind.

• Check and clean your gutters. Remove leaves, twigs and other branches that may block your gutter. You can clean them by hand or with a scraper. This can clog the drains, which would later cause the water to return and freeze in the gutter. This would eventually seep into the walls of the house. Make sure your gutters do not have cracks and the pipes are properly aligned.
• Work on those cracks and leaks. Find leaks and cracks in your house and block them. According to the EarthWorks Group, an average American would have leaks equivalent to a nine-square-foot hole in the wall. The cold air could slip inside your house and the warm air will escape. This would increase fuel costs.
• Turn on your furnace to see if it works even if the coldest weather has not arrived yet. Furnaces must be cleaned and serviced once a year. You could have a professional to check the oven. Change the filters every month as dirty filters could cause a fire.
• Check your air ducts. If the ducts are not properly connected, about 60% of the heated air is lost, which means that a lot of energy is consumed without the benefit of the residents.
• Changing the window can be expensive, but it would certainly contribute to protection and warmth. In addition to the storm windows, there are also window insulator kits. However, these kits are not very attractive and are only temporary, but they are certainly inexpensive. You just have to put it inside the window.
• Avoid pipes that burst. Make sure that the water pipe and the pipes are drained and cut. Insulate your pipes, you can wrap them with foam rubber or heating tape.
• In addition to insulating your pipes, you should also check the insulation in the attic. The recommended thickness for attic insulation would be about 12 inches. Also check the basement and exterior walls if properly insulated.
• It is important to clean fireplaces, fireplaces and wood stoves. They may have accumulated debris and soot over time, which can cause problems once you start using them again. For chimneys, it is best to seal them or cover them with chimney caps and grills to prevent birds and rodents from entering.