23 Ways to Prepare Your Home for Winter

Use this checklist to make sure your home is prepared for winter: -Inspect your windows and doors for any gaps or cracks that need to be sealed -Clean your gutters and downspouts -Check your furnace and make sure it is in good working condition -If you have a fireplace, have it inspected and cleaned -Make sure you have enough salt and snow shovels on hand to clear your sidewalks and driveway

1. Clean Out Your Gutters

It is recommended that you clean your gutters and downspouts a few times a year, depending on how many trees you have. However, it is important to empty them before freezing temperatures set in. If your gutters seem to fill up with debris quickly, you could try installing leaf guards to keep them clean for a longer period of time.

2. Assess Your Roof

It is best to do roof maintenance before it gets cold outside and this is important in preparing the outside of your home for winter. The best way to find out if your roof needs any work is to do a visual inspection. Look for sections of the roof where the shingles are cracked, bending or missing. Also check for loose screws or rusted panels that could cause potential leaks.

At the very least, you should inspect your roof closely with a pair of binoculars. Look for any damaged, loose, or missing shingles that could potentially leak during winter storms or from melting snow.

Hire someone to fix your roof if necessary. According to www.costhelper.com, it will cost you $95 to $127 to repair a few shingles, or $100 to $350 to repair a 100-square-foot area. Also, check and repair any breaks in the flashing seals around vent stacks and chimneys.

If you have a roof that is flat and has a surface of asphalt and pebbles, as many roofs in the Southwest are, you should rake or blow off any fall leaves and pine needles that have collected on it. This is because they hold moisture, according to Bill Richardson, who is a past president of the American Society of Home Inspectors and is based in Albuquerque. You should not sweep the pebbles to the side, as this will leave the asphalt exposed to harmful sunlight.

3. Protect Your Wood Deck

Before you put up your holiday decorations, make sure you take care of your deck. Sweep your deck clean of fallen leaves and other dirt and debris. If you didn’t apply a fresh coat of sealer in the spring, now may be the time to do that before the snow starts falling. You can lay a large tarp down to protect your wood or make sure to be diligent about using a plastic shovel for snow removal. Focusing on maintaining your deck year-round can help preserve its lifespan.

4. Flush Your Sprinklers

Before the ground freezes, make sure to shut off the water to your lawn’s sprinkler system. You will also want to flush out the existing water in the pipes by opening up the manual valve and flipping on the system. Alternatively, you can use a compressor to blow the remaining water out of the system.

5. Check Your Snowblower

If it’s been a while since you’ve used your snowblower, you should do some basic maintenance on it before the winter season. This includes changing the motor oil, spark plug, and air filter. You should also make sure that everything is running smoothly. In addition, you should lubricate the chute, levers, and linkages before you start using it again.

6. Bring in Outdoor Plants, Furniture, and Grill

Before the cold weather arrives, check your outdoor accessories and plants. To prevent damage, get rid of any bugs on your plants and bring them inside before the first frost hits. Clean all of your outdoor furniture and store it in your garage or shed.

To prepare your yard equipment for winter, disconnect your garden hose from the faucet and put it away. Scrape any grass that is caked onto the blades of your mower with a putty knife or wire brush, and change the oil, air filter, and spark plug.

7. Seal Gaps Around Your Doors and Windows

Reducing your heating costs and blocking cold winter air from entering your home are important goals of winterizing your home. To achieve these goals, you can add weather stripping to your doors and caulk any gaps around your windows. In addition, make sure your windows are locked to prevent drafts from coming in. If your windows are not sealing properly or the locks are not working, you may need to replace your windows.

According to Richardson, if there are any gaps around your doors or windows that are wider than the width of a nickel, you need to reapply some exterior caulk. He also suggests checking the joints in your door and window frames. Silicone caulk is the best to use for the exterior because it won’t shrink and can withstand any weather conditions.

GE’s Silicone II Window and Door product can be used in three minutes and does not require any special skills or tools. It is available at Home Depot for $6. If you have any gaps around your doors or windows, you can also use window-glazing putty to seal the glass into the window frame. You may also need to add weatherstripping around doors to make sure no daylight is visible from inside your home.

8. Protect Your Pipes

The areas of your house that are most at risk for frozen pipes are unheated interior spaces like your garage, attic, and basement. You can use pipe insulation to protect your pipes from freezing. Other ways to protect your pipes from freezing are to keep your garage door closed as much as possible and to not let the temperature in your house go below 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

9. Tune Up Your Heating System

A technician will inspect your furnace for about $80 to $100 to ensure that it is clean, in good repair, and able to achieve its manufacturer-rated efficiency. The inspection will also measure carbon-monoxide leakage.

To avoid being at the back of the line for heating repairs on the coldest day of the year, you should look for a contractor that is a member of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America and employs technicians who are certified by the North American Technician Excellence program. The contractor should also follow the protocol for ACCAs “national standard for residential maintenance.”

10. Reverse Your Ceiling Fans

Then, you won’t have to run your heater as much. If you ceiling fan has a reverse switch, you can use it to make the blades go in a clockwise direction after you turn on the heat. Energy Star says this will make an updraft that will push down into the room the hot air from the ceiling (remember, hot air rises). This way, you won’t have to use your heater as much.

Hanging curtains closer to the ceiling will make your room appear taller and brighter. This is especially helpful in rooms with high ceilings. It might even allow you to turn down your thermostat by a degree or two for greater energy savings.

11. Prevent Ice Dams

If your home had extensive icicle growth or ice dams last winter, take steps to prevent damage this year.Ice dams can cause meltwater to back up and flow into your house, so taking preventive measures is important.

If your home is not energy efficient, a home-energy auditor or weatherization contractor can help. You can claim a federal energy-efficiency tax credit for 10% of the cost of making your home more energy efficient, up to $500. Your state or utility may offer a rebate as well.

12. Divert Water

Home-improvement expert David Lupberger says to add extensions to downspouts so that water runs at least 3 to 4 feet away from the foundation.

97. For example, you can buy an Amerimax Flex-a-Spout extension from HomeDepot.com for $9.97. This extension can extend from 25 to 55 inches.

13. Turn Off Exterior Faucets

All the water should be drained from the pipes, as undrained water can freeze and cause the pipes to burst from the expanding ice. To do this, start by disconnecting all garden hoses and draining the water from the faucets.

If your faucets are not frost-proof, turn off the shut-off valve inside your home.

14. Drain Your Lawn-Irrigation System

You should call a professional to do the job, as it will cost you $50 to $150, depending on the size of the system.

If you want to avoid your sprinkler system pipes from freezing and leaking, you should drain them with spigots.

15. Mulch Leaves When You Mow

A study at the University of Michigan found that it is better to mow your leaves instead of raking them. The study suggests that cutting the leaves, while dry, into dime-sized pieces will help them decompose and nourish your lawn over the winter.

You can mow your lawn without using the bag, and you can also swap the blade for a mulching blade. This may take a few passes.

16. Prepare to Stow Your Mower

If you leave fuel in the mower’s engine over winter, it will corrode the carburetor and make it hard to start the engine in spring.

John Deere recommends taking the following steps to prevent your lawn mower from freezing in cold weather: -If you’ve added a gas stabilizer to your fuel to keep it fresh longer, fill the gas tank to the top with more stabilized fuel and run the engine briefly to allow it to circulate. -If you haven’t added a gas stabilizer, wait until the tank is nearly empty from use and run the engine (outdoors) to use up the remaining fuel. -Check your mower’s manual for other cold-weather storage steps.

17. Don’t Prune Trees or Shrubs Until Late-Winter

It may be tempting to prune your plants after the leaves have fallen and you can see the plant’s structure. However, horticulturalists advise waiting until late winter to prune most plants. This is when the plants are dormant and just before spring growth begins.

Master gardeners at local nurseries or horticulturalists with your state university’s cooperation extension department can give you specific advice about your plants and region. You may need to hire an arborist to remove deadfall or trim limbs close to your home or power lines that could cause problems in a winter storm.

18. Test Your Sump Pump

Pour several gallons of water into the sump pit slowly to see if the pump turns on. You should do this every few months, but especially after a dry season or before a rainy one.

For more complete instructions on how to test and maintain your sump pump, check your owner’s manual. Most sump pumps have a lifespan of about ten years, according to Chubb Personal Insurance.

19. Call a Chimney Sweep

It is important to clean your fireplace, chimney, and vents before burning the Yule log to prevent chimney fires and carbon monoxide from entering your home.

The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) provides certification for sweeps who clean chimneys. An inspection from a certified sweep to see if a cleaning is necessary typically costs $50-$90, and a cleaning itself costs $100-$300.

20. Restock Winter Essentials

You shouldn’t wait for the first winter storm to buy things you’ll need like salt or ice melt. If you don’t like the noise from a snowblower or the hard work that comes with shoveling, you should look into the Sno Wovel. It’s a shovel on wheels that does a lot of the work for you.

21. Cover Your Water Heater

If you want to keep your hot water heater from losing heat, you can buy a water heater insulation blanket. This will only cost you about $20-25 from your local home improvement store and can save you money on your heating bill.

22. Install a Programmable Thermostat

The average person can save more than $50 a year on heating and cooling costs by using a smart or programmable thermostat, according to Energy Star. With these new thermostats, you can customize the temperature of your home based on your personal preferences. Many brands have an app that lets you control your thermostat remotely or without ever leaving your bed. When preparing your home for winter, personal comfort should be a top priority.

23. Change Batteries and Test Smoke Detectors

While you’re enjoying the winter weather in your own home, remember that it’s also the peak season for house fires and carbon monoxide poisoning. Be sure to change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and test them to make sure they’re working properly. If your batteries are out of juice, get rid of them and buy a new pack.