Preparing your home for winter
By Melissa Wirkus
Winter is fast approaching, so it is important
to make preparations to your home during
the fall to get ready for the colder months
that are ahead.
Even if you do not live in an area that
gets a lot of snow (or any at all for
that matter) does not mean that there
are no preparations to make to your house
to ensure that your have a safe and sound
winter.
There is actually a variety of things
you can do to get ready for winter.
An October 13, 2006 article from Inman
News, “Your fall home-maintenance
checklist,” discusses the things
you should do to your home to get ready
for the chill that is soon to come.
“Fall is already in the air, which
means that another chilly winter can't
be too far behind. So before the cold
weather arrives and you snuggle up indoors
again, here's your annual checklist of
things to do to get your home ready for
the change of season.”
One of the most important things to do
when preparing your house for the winter
is to check the smoke detectors. It is
way too common for homeowners
to neglect their smoke detectors because
they simply forget about them.
But make sure you put this task at the
top of your list.
“Please don't neglect that smoke
detector any longer! Take some time right
now to check the operation of detectors
and to change the batteries.
If you have an older house with a limited
number of smoke detectors, you really
need to install some additional ones.
Battery-powered smoke detectors are inexpensive
and very easy to install, so add one to
each bedroom and make sure there is one
centrally located on each level of the
home as well.”
Speaking of detectors, it is also a good
idea to install some carbon monoxide detectors
(if you already haven’t) when you
are checking on your smoke detectors.
Also, spring is not the only time for
cleaning, fall is a great time to get
things nice and clean for the cold months
ahead.
“A surprising amount of dirt can
accumulate inside your home's furnace
ducts, which can decrease your furnace's
efficiency and add unnecessary dust to
the indoor air. Now is the time to have
a professional duct cleaning service come
out and take care of this for you.”
“Last winter your hardworking fireplace
was building up a layer of soot and creosote
and you've no doubt forgotten all about
that during the summer. Before you light
the first log, clean the fireplace chimney
or wood stove flue using brushes approved
for the size and type of flue you have,
or consider hiring a chimney sweep to
take care of this task for you - most
do a great job at a very reasonable price.”
As for preparing the outside of your home,
make sure you thoroughly check the weather
stripping along all doors, windows or
any other openings. This could actually
end up saving you money.
“When you have gaps around doors,
windows or other areas that penetrate
the exterior of your home, you waste expensive
heated air from inside as well as allow
annoying drafts to keep you from feeling
comfortable. Fall is the time to check
the weather-stripping around doors and
windows, and replace any that are worn.”
Following this checklist this fall will
surely save you some un-wanted stress
as well as valuable time
and money this winter.
