Winterproofing Your Home

Regardless of where you live winter can take a toll on your home. You never know what to expect when that time of year rolls around. Getting your home ready for winter is very important. It can help protect your home from any damages and lower your utility bill. Here are a few things you can do to prepare your home for winter.

First, clean your gutters and downspouts. Remove any foliage or other debris. This will keep water from settling in the debris and seep down into your home's ceilings or walls. This is an important step in preventing ice damning. A lot of people never realize that they have problems with their gutters until it is too late. The water should be flowing freely down the spout of your gutter. If water is pouring over the gutter, then the gutter may have too much debris. The water needs to flow down the spout and empty out running away from the home. Dirty gutters or misplaced spouts are common problems. Another helpful tip is to cut or trim your trees. Remove any dead limbs or twigs that are near your home. This will prevent any limbs from falling onto your roof during an ice storm.

Buying faucet covers are another good idea. These will help protect outdoor faucets. Faucet covers can be found in any home improvement store. The Cover Store has an outdoor faucet cover for $5.99. It comes in khaki, black, or green. This vinyl insulated material is chemically treated to repeal water. If you are not happy with this new type of faucet cover you can stick to the typical Styrofoam covers.

Pull out old furnace filters and vacuum out your interior grill. Replace your old filters with a new one regularly. Efficient filters are a great defense against pollutants and allergies. They can also lower your utility bill. There is no such thing as a perfect filter, but some are better than others. Try pre cut media air filters, electrostatic air filters, or activated carbon air filters. You should keep your home temperature at least 65 degrees. This will help keep your pipes from freezing. You can also wrap any pipe that runs along an exterior wall with heating tape. A good heating tape will be a heat reflective thermal insulating tape. An additional way to save on your heating bill is to make sure your hot water heater is in an insulated area. If the hot water heater is not in an insulated area of the house you can use water heater blankets. Water heater blankets are an excellent way to keep your hot water heater from running up your utility bill.

Finally, fill in any holes or cracks with caulk. Pur window foam is great to use around windows to fill any gaps. Seal any outlet with outlet seals to stop air leaks in electrical receptacles and light switches. Using an outlet seal can reduce the amount of drafts that enter the home. Therefore, they can solve energy loss problems in the home. Door strips can also help keep air from entering or exiting the home. You can find these products online or at a home improvement store near you.

Resources:

Conservation Mart
DIY.com