What are the top three things you should do to prepare your home for winter?
Every fall we distribute a seasonal checklist of the things you should do to prepare your home for the winter season. In the spirit of limited time, I’m narrowing it down to three things that you really must do – or it will cost you a lot of money later.
1) Turn off your outside hose bib(s) and drain the line (unless you have a frost free valve found in new construction). This is extremely important. During very cold temps the water in your outside lines will freeze which expands and breaks the pipe. Once the weather warms up, the water will start to flow again and could very well flood your basement or at the very least your entire yard.
2) Service your heating system and clean your air filters. A properly serviced heating system will operate more efficiently and reduce the likelihood that your heat will stop working at midnight during the coldest night of the season. Replacing or cleaning your air filters not only helps the efficiency of the unit, it also reduces indoor air pollutants which are more prevalent during winter months.
3) Clear your gutters and reseal/coat your roof. After the leaves have fallen, be sure your gutters are clear and any roof damage from summer storms has been fixed. It is much easier to address these items now, before the snow falls and the temperatures move lower. During last year’s winter storms, a lot of people had significant problems with gutters and roofs - some of which could have been prevented with proper maintenance.
If you’d like more information from our seasonal checklist, email me – brandon@brandongreen.com
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