Michael Jedd Anjelo Zabalerio Isaac

Easy Guide For Preparing Your Home For The Cold Season The conveniences of a comfortable, warm home during the cold season can sometimes help you forget about the shorter days and the need for multiple layers of clothing. Following a strict maintenance plan all throughout the year will unquestionably benefit you during the cold season. However, it is essential to be aware and knowledgeable of the hazards, perils, and risks the cold conditions can bring to your humble home. The guidelines below can help you better prepare a well-maintained home for the coming cold season. Make Sure Your Home Is Energy Efficient Since your heating system will most likely be working non-stop throughout the cold season, Make it a point to: Have your boiler or your heating system checked and serviced by a licensed contractor. We recommend accomplishing it before the cold season commences. Clean or Replace out your home's HVAC filters. Inspect the insulation in your home's attic and crawlspace. Warm air rises, and it eventually escapes the house through the crevices of the roof. So, you should focus on ensuring proper insulation of your ceiling. Many, if not all, areas in the US have building codes with recommendations for the insulation thickness. So it is best to ensure you match those recommendations. Seal areas around recessed lights, the attic hatch, plumbing vents, and those wall switch plates too! Proper attic insulation and ventilation, coupled with a tight air barrier between the attic and the interior of your home will work together to prevent ice dams. Burning firewood is another alternative to cut energy costs. When using the fireplace, you can reduce heat loss by slightly opening the nearest window - about an inch -- and then, closing all doors leading into the room. It will hinder the fire from drawing warm air out of the rest of your home and supplanting it with cold icy air. Have Your Chimney Checked Now, before you go and burn the Yule log, please ensure that your fireplace or any heating appliance that burns gas, coal, oil, wood, chimney, and vents are clean and in excellent condition. Hire professional chimney sweep services to get optimal results. It will prevent chimney fires and avert potential carbon monoxide fatalities from happening into your home. If you have installed alarms and detectors, check and replace their batteries. help Protect Your Pipes Your home's pipes, located in your attic, basements, crawl space, and near outer walls, are susceptive to freezing, especially in extreme temperatures. When the weather forecast tells us to prepare for frigid temperatures: Let the water drip slightly from hot and cold faucets overnight. Try to keep cabinet doors open to allow warm air to circulate in areas like below your kitchen sinks. While keeping cabinet doors open, make sure you remove the contents of the cabinets that may pose a health risk to both children and pets such as household cleaners. For exposed piping found in your attic, basement, or crawl spaces, we recommend providing extra insulation around them. Turn Off Exterior Faucets Undrained water in outer pipes and tubing can freeze. When it happens, it can cause these items to burst, as the ice expands. Prevent this issue from happening by disconnecting all garden hoses and drawing the remaining water in faucets. Usually, homes more than ten to fifteen years old typically do not have frost-proof faucets.So we recommend to turn off the shut-off valve inside your home. Clean your Gutters and Inspect Your Roof (Repair It If Necessary!) Cleaning your home's gutters not only makes your home look more beautiful and pleasing, but it can also help counter ice build-up on your roof. The quicker that water drains away, the less likely it is to melt and then refreeze on your roof or under your shingles. Moreover, clean gutters decrease the chance of infestation and reduce the risk of mold in your home. If your drain channels do not have leaf guards attached to it, it might take several sessions until all the tree's leaves fall off. While you clean out your gutters, check for problem areas that may indicate that it is time to trim the trees in the yard. Be Ready for any Emergency and Situation Electrical blackouts, snow-ins, and other circumstances can occur during cold winter months. So, it is best for you and your family to a take a moment to prepare for such situations. Having the following items ready inside your home will help you make it through safely: Blankets Bottled Water Non-perishable Food Items First-aid kit and supplies Flashlights/Torch Emergency Battery Backup for your Computer and other Gadgets Phone numbers for your utility companies If you have an emergency generator, make sure you have fuel stored and available to run and operate it. Do you have anything to add to our list? Feel free to share them in the comments section below.