Winterization Tips

As summer skids away and the weather turns cooler, it’s time to prepare your home for winter. Frosty temperatures, chilly winds, snow, rain, and ice are just around the corner. There is plenty to do things to get the house ready for the cold winter season. No matter where you live, winter probably brings a fairly momentous change in humidity, and homeowners have a long list of tasks to complete to winterize their homes.

 Here are 7 tips to prepare your house for winter:

·         Add Attic Insulation

·         Caulk Cracks

·         Install Storm Windows

·         Replace Door Weather Stripping

·         Change Furnace Filters

·         Install a Programmable Thermostat

·         Insulate Hot-Water Pipes

1. Add Attic Insulation

The best use of insulation is in the attic. Unfortunately, houses have either no insulation or too-little insulation in the attic. Attics should have a minimum of R-38 insulation (most commonly recommended level of insulation), which is typically between 10 and 15 inches deep-seated. A proper attic floor will block heated air in the rooms below from flowing into the attic.

2. Caulk Cracks

The simplest and most effective ways to stop cold-air infiltration is to plug up holes, cracks, and open joint around the exterior of your house. Use a high-quality acrylic-latex caulk or expanding-foam and fill all air-leaking gaps. It’s paramount to pay attention to the areas around the outside of windows, doors, hose faucets, and the overlaps of the foundation.

3. Install Storm Windows

Insulated-glass windows are very efficient during winter. Moreover, every house should install storm windows. Old windows are inefficient and can make rooms feel uncomfortably cold and frosty. Insulated storm windows mount to the exterior of existing windows and provide an extra layer of protection against drafty weather, including snow, wind, and rain. By the time spring arrives, the storm units can be removed and stored away until next winter.

4. Replace Door Weather Stripping

Check out all weather stripping around all exterior doors to ensure that it’s in good shape and not crushed, ripped, or missing. Therefore, close the door and check for air-leaking gaps around all four edges of the door. Take a peek under the door. You’ll need to raise the threshold or install a door sweep If you see sunlight shining through. Moreover, to detect drafts, try this trick, take a smoldering stick of incense and slowly pass it around the door. Even the slightest breeze will make the smoke stream dance, indicating where the air is leaking in.

5. Change Furnace Filters

Replace the heater’s air filter every two months throughout the winter season. A clogged, dirty filter will impede airflow and dramatically reduces the efficiency of the heater. However, acknowledge replacing a cheap disposable filter with a reusable electrostatic model. Also, be sure to have your furnace tuned up annually by a licensed HVAC contractor.

6. Install a Programmable Thermostat

If your family keeps a regular schedule, meaning you come and go at somewhat regular times each day, install a programmable thermostat, which can be adjusted to suit your lifestyle. For example, you can preset it to automatically turn on the heat in the morning as everyone is getting up for work and school, and then lower the heat once everyone has left the house. And you can program the heat to come back on just before everyone gets home later in the day, and then shut it back down at bedtime. Almost every programmable thermostats also have weekend and vacation settings. And if you buy a smart programmable thermostat, you’ll be able to control it from anywhere in the world using your phone or tablet.

7. Insulate Hot-Water Pipes

Reduce heat loss and save energy and money by insulating all of your hot-water pipes. The insulation will help keep the water hot inside the pipe, so your boiler or water heater won’t have to work so hard. Also, you won’t have to waste as much time or water waiting for hot water to flow out of the faucet or showerhead. Most pipe covering comes in two types,

·         Rubber sleeves that you slip onto the pipe

·         Insulated wraps that you wind around the pipe.

End Words

Tips for winterizing is mainly to make sure that a vacant, abandoned home’s plumbing can endure a winter freeze. Typically, this means: draining the water from the pipes and the water heater. Winterizing is important when a homeowner is prepared for a vacancy. This process prepares the plumbing system and components to not be affected by temperature so the pipes don’t freeze. If you are thinking about winterizing your home, you can consider Plumbing 911. From installation or replacement to repairs and troubleshooting, you can count on them to take care of winterizing your house.