Winterize Your Home
Winterizing Your Home
When homeowners think about home safety, the first thoughts that come to mind are home security. But did you know that it is just as important to make sure your home is safe and secure from the harm that a harsh winter can bring?
It's true. Winterizing your home should be at the top of your to-do list right around the month of October or November. Why so early? It should be done this early because you never know when the first winter storm might hit the area. If you winterize your house early enough, that is one less thing to worry about.
This checklist will help you winterize your home quickly and easily so you can rest easy all winter long:
Winter Checklist
- Have your furnace inspected. Call a professional to inspect the furnace and clean the ducts. Replace the filter on a monthly basis.
- Check the doors and windows of your home for open areas that might be letting the outside air in…making it more difficult to heat your home effectively. Use weather stripping to seal any open spots or cracks in the doors or windows.
- Check the gutters for leaf buildup and use a hose to wash debris out of the downspouts. Many people use leaf guards on the gutters to prevent leaves from building up during the fall season and to keep water moving towards the downspouts. This prevents freezing on the roof.
- Be sure to replace worn out shingles on the roof. This can help prevent the roof from collapsing in spots and keep water from entering the house.
- Service all of your winter equipment. Give your snow blower a tune up, replace broken or old shovels and rakes and buy bags of ice-melt.
- Inspect your fireplace for any damage that could have occurred from the previous winter. Screen off the top of the chimney to prevent animals and other pests from getting into the fireplace.
- Install smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Charge the batteries or replace them with new ones.
- Prepare an emergency kit for your household. This kit should include candles, matches, flashlights, batteries; buy extra bottled water, battery backup for your computer, blankets and a first-aid kit.
Even if the doors, windows, roof, siding and gutters are fairly new on your home, take these precautions each and every winter. Making sure that there are no cracks or openings around the exterior of the house can help to lower your monthly heating costs as well as make the house a more comfortable place to live.
If some of the windows, doors or roofing are too old to fix and really need to be replaced, Global Home Improvement's professional home improvement team can help you. They sell replacement windows, doors, siding, roofing and gutters at affordable prices, and offer superior customer service from start to finish. Please contact Global Home Improvement in Feasterville, PA today for your entire home winterizing needs.
