Preparing Your Home for Winter

The recent bout of rainy days has reinforced the need to start preparing for wetter and colder winter weather. Here are some tips on how to winterize your home, along with a printable checklist HERE.

Exterior Preparation

Seal driveway & sidewalk cracks or gaps: Water expands when it freezes, so any moisture setting in your driveway or sidewalk’s cracks can cause bigger problems down the line. Sealing cracks with a crack filler, concrete, or asphalt repairing products is a good idea before the rain and snow builds up.

Rake leaves on the lawn, fertilize & seed: Show your lawn some love now and it will reward you come springtime. Rake leaves and run the mower one last time before you lay down fertilizer and grass seed.

Disconnect hoses & put away: Remember to drain the hoses of any water before storing in your garage or shed. Buy some spigot covers to prevent them from freezing.

Turn off irrigation water line: If your sprinkler system uses irrigation water, either turn it off at the control box or find the shut off valve.

Clean out gutters: Put on some gloves and clear your gutters of any leaves, twigs, and debris. Run water through the gutter to ensure that it will properly drain through your downspouts.

Install storm windows & doors: Storm windows add additional insulation and prevent drafts from your existing windows, with exterior and interior options available to match your trim and paint. Storm doors help keep the warm air in your home while also protecting your front door from the cold.

Put outdoor furniture away/cover: Prevent staining or mildew growth by covering or putting away your outdoor furniture.

Insulate exposed pipes: Use either pipe wrap insulation or foam pipe sleeves on any exposed exterior water pipes or pipes in colder areas of your home.

Have sprinklers blown out: Turn off or disconnect your sprinkler timer box before having all of the water purged from your sprinkler lines.

Interior Preparation

Put up heavy drapes to keep warm air in: Your windows can be a large source of heat loss for your home. Use heavy drapes made with velvet, tapestry, or suede materials to keep the heat in and the cold out.

Reverse the direction of ceiling fans to send warm air downwards: Heat rises, so push some of that warm air back down by reversing the direction of your ceiling fans and running it at low speed.

Have furnace serviced: Don’t be left in the cold this winter due to a malfunctioning heating system. Get your furnace and vents inspected by a professional before the freeze sets in.

Have fireplace & chimney serviced: Hire a chimney sweep to clean out your chimneys and prevent dangerous soot buildup. Left unattended, soot and ash buildup can cause house fires.

Seal Up Drafty Areas

Install/replace weatherstripping in doors: Keep the heat in by inspecting the weatherstripping and making repairs where needed. Add door snakes to stop drafts when opening exterior doors.

Caulk around windows: Add caulk around window frames and between the window trim and the wall. Removable caulk can be used as a temporary fix for just the winter.

Close vents in the crawl space: Either close your crawlspace vents manually, or use specially-made foam blocks to plug the vents up.