5 Simple Winter Home Maintenance Tips
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Is Your Home Ready for Winter?
Learn 5 Simple Winter Home Maintenance Tips to Protect Your Home
Winter is here. Although you might be more inclined to putting up Christmas lights or wreaths in your home, you also need to take care of some not-so-desirable issues to ensure that your home stays safe and protected during the harsh winter season. Here are some basic winter home maintenance tips for you.
1. Keep snow away from the foundation of your home
Snow is harmful for the structure of your home. One simple way to avoid the deterioration of the foundation and expensive repairs is to stop snow or water from collecting around the base of your house. Focus on areas that are prone to snow accumulation such as basement windows and concrete staircases. You can also hire professionals to do the job.
2. Clear snow and ice from external vents
Although clogged vents can cause damage to your property, the real threat is actually to your heating and cooling systems. Clogged vents which create extra pressure inside can lead to accumulation of moisture, and if not taken proper care can infect your home with mold or rot in wood structures. So make sure your vents are not snow clogged.
3. Seal doors and windows
Make sure your home is ready to handle the cold. One simple winter home maintenance tip is to inspect your doors and windows carefully for gaps and areas that may let in a draft. Use weatherstripping or caulk to seal them up, or consider replacing the windows or doors if the risk is high.
4. Prevent pipes from freezing
Most of the time, your water pipes will not freeze. However, if it flows through any part of the house that is not heated, or if the heating system fails, the water inside can convert to ice. When water in a pipe freezes, it expands and exerts pressure on both metal and plastic pipes which can burst. To prevent this make sure your heating stays on and keep your faucet dripping.
5. Bring the outdoors inside
Be sure to move in all outdoor furniture and equipment (BBQ grill, lawn mowers) to indoor storage and bring inside any planters you would like to save through the season. Also during winter season, make sure to turn off all sprinkler systems as well as unplug garden hoses to prevent them getting snow clogged rendering them useless.
With these simple winter home maintenance tips and tricks, your home will be safe and cozy so that you can enjoy a relaxing holiday season without worrying about property damage and costly repairs.