How to Winterize Your House

Billy Gafford manages Handyman Connection-Birmingham, a company dedicated to bringing Birmingham area homeowners the best in handyman and home repair services. In this article, he gives some helpful hints and tips on how to get your house ready for the freezing cold months ahead.

In an attempt to help my customers get through the colder months in comfort, I’ve decided to share some of my favorite tips for winterizing your house. These practical tidbits will do more than keep you warm: If winterized right, you’ll save a bundle on home heating costs too.

• Check Your Furnace – You can do a few things to make sure your furnace is working up to snuff. If a hot water radiator heats your home, you should bleed the valves. To do this, open the valves slightly and then close them again when water appears. You should also consider regularly changing the filters inside the furnace, as considerable use causes filters to dirty quite quickly. Optimally, you should be checking and potentially replacing the filter at least once a month. If you know how to inspect your furnace and ducts, do so. If not, it’s usually a good idea to have a professional do so before wintertime to ensure everything is running up to snuff.

• Clean Your Gutters – Believe it or not, this simple chore greatly aids in home winterization. Blockage in your home gutters, such as leaves and debris, traps water and snow inside. This water and snow then becomes ice, which expands and begins to seep moisture into your home. This not only makes for a colder house, it also causes real damage. Take the time to scoop fall leaves and sticks from your gutters using a spatula or spoon. Then give the gutters a good rinse. Or, get them cleaned by a professional.

• Seal the Exterior – Your home is porous, much more so than you’d like to believe. In order to keep heat in and cold out, you need to ensure that your house remains tightly sealed. Inspect the outside of your house for cracks and crevices and seal them if you find them. Use weatherstripping around doors and use caulk to prevent cold from seeping into the windows. Don’t forget the basement windows too by covering basement well windows using plastic shields. Don’t forget to remove summertime screens from your windows as you won’t need them much these next few months. Another sound investment to make is storm windows. You’d be amazed how effective a storm window can be in retaining heat. The savings are truly stupendous.

• Insulation – Do you need more of it? You very well might. Attics and crawlspaces are one of the most common places where heat is lost in the average home. When heat rises, it often rises right outside. The best way to prevent the heat from getting out is to double up on attic insulation. Generally, if you can see ceiling joists in your attic, then you could use it a bit more insulation. It’s a relatively small investment that can save you tremendously on heating costs this winter.

• Drain Hoses – It’s a small thing, but it makes all the difference between a cracked hose and a working one come spring thaw. Similarly, if you’re air conditioner (AC) has water shut off valve, turn it off.

• Check Your Ducts – In homes with central heating and AC, a tremendous amount of heat is lost before it even reaches the rooms of your house. What for? Improperly sealed ducts. It is advisable to check ductwork for separations and cracks each year. It’s also a good idea to vacuum out central air ducts every few years, as dust and buildup can seriously impair an otherwise functioning system.

• Check Pipes – You’ll want to make sure exposed pipes are insulated before wintertime. A pipe that has cracked due to freezing is a major irritation and expense. Similarly, you should remember to leave the heat on before leaving for vacation. Fifty five percent of constant heat will defend against the assaulting cold. You’d be surprised how many people forget to take this simple precaution when leaving home in the wintertime and return to the horror of cracked pipes. Don’t let yourself be one of them.

• Winterize Your Chimney – The often forgotten chimney is a common place where heat is lost. Inspect the chimney for cracks and seal them. If you use the chimney and fireplace, it’s a good idea to have it swept by a professional chimney sweep every few years. On a side note, you should also make sure a screen covers the chimney or grate. This simple precaution keeps unwanted objects and animals out. The last thing a chimney sweep wants to find is a dead raccoon or a family of squirrels when he arrives to clean your chimney.

So there you have it, some simple tips to help keep your house safe and warm throughout the winter. Properly winterizing your home isn’t just good for your bank account. A sealed, well-functioning winter home also uses fewer fuels, which gives Mother Nature a break as well. Plus, it saves wear and tear on your home’s existing systems. So seal it up, heat up a cup of cocoa and enjoy a nice warm and fuel-efficient winter.