Winter Home Prepping Tips
With winter fast approaching us, be sure to take some extra time to better prep your home for these frigid temps to protect your family and the kids and keep them toasty warm and safe this cold winter season. Here are some winter home prepping tips recommended for homeowners.
First and foremost, get your furnace and boiler inspected. Instead of begging for service when your boiler blows on a dead-cold January night, sign a contract now with a local reputable HVAC company. Many companies offer monthly and annual service contracts. It is definitely money well spent and worth it.
Save money on heating costs by making sure your home is more energy-efficient by adding new storm windows, insulation, and caulking around windows and doors. Have you thought of adding solar panels? They help alot with letting natural sun and heat into your home. In addition, repair any cracked or broken windows.
Do you own a generator yet? If a big storm is eminent, no one will have a generator available at any local stores, so think ahead and go buy one to use in case of emergencies this winter. Do your research online first to be sure you get the right one that is right for your home and family.
Order firewood. Ask around your local neighborhood, ask friends and family for suggestions on some good places to buy your firewood. Any hardwood, such as oak, maple, beech or elm, will work fine for firewood. You can also drive around your neighborhood and you are sure to come across firewood for sale in front of other people’s homes as well. You want seasoned firewood that’s at least a year old. Just an fyi, that ash is the only wood that you can burn “green,” right after it has been cut down.
Hire a chimney sweep. If you own a chimney and have not had your chimneys cleaned in a while, it is likely that time then. If you regularly use your fireplace every winter, it is recommended that you get it cleaned every year just before winter begins.
Have any trees you may be worried about that may break or fall during the wintertime if cold enough? Then call in a tree arborist. Many winter tree catastrophes are preventable if you get a tree service company to come to your home to assess the tree or trees during the fall. Get a certified arborist to walk around your yard with you to look for rotting trees or damaged or dangling limbs that may become damaged during the winter or the next storm.
Don’t take the time to rake your leaves. Instead, just leave them where they fall and run them over with a mulching lawn mower. You’ll be amazed at how one of these powerful machines can turn a pile of leaves into a million little pieces. Plus, they add valuable organic matter to your lawn. Also leave grass clippings on the lawn.
When was the last time you cleaned your gutters? If you can’t get on a ladder yourself, then hire someone. Wait until all the leaves are down, then do it once unless it is already overflowing, then you may need to do this a few times before winter starts. So many problems arise with water in the basement because of clogged gutters.
Some other winter home prepping tips include sealing up masonry. Be sure to repair any broken joints or cracks in stonework, stairs, and walkways. Make sure you have clear, shovel-friendly paths to all doors. And leave all your shovels and snow blower in a convenient easy to get-to area, like in your garage.