Get Started On Winterizing Your Home Before The Temps Plunge

As winter approaches, don’t delay preparing your house for cold weather. The best time to begin winterizing your home is before the temperature drops, so here are some reminders to help you get started.

Furnace inspection
Don’t discover that your furnace isn’t working once the temperature drops and your house gets cold. Now’s the time to perform a routine inspection, which includes checking and changing the filters if necessary. 

Prepare gutter and roof
If water freezes in your gutters, it can damage not only the gutters but the roof as well.

• To minimize any damage, insulate your attic so warm attic air doesn’t cause ice damming.
• Hose out your gutters to remove debris and make sure the downspouts are unobstructed.
• Installing leaf guards to the gutters or downspouts will direct water away from the house.
• Don’t get caught with a leaking roof. Inspect its integrity and replace shingles or tiles that are in need of repair.

Seal air leaks
One basic procedure for winterizing your home is to seal air leaks from windows and doors.

• Use Weatherstripping around your external doors and apply door sweeps to the bottom.
• Seal around pipes or any entry point that allows air leakage.
• Check the outside of your house for crevices or cracks and seal with weather-resistant caulking.
• Install outlet gaskets to electrical outlets that share outer walls.

Cover or replace windows

• If your windows or doors have summer screens, replace the windows with your regular glass and hang your storm door, if you have one, in place of the screen door.
• Basement window wells will benefit from plastic shield coverings.
• Install storm windows and replace any cracked windows.

Check your ducts

• You can often find exposed ducts in the attic, basement and crawlspaces. Repair any gaps with metal-backed tape.
• Clean air registers throughout your home by vacuuming out dust and any other debris that has accumulated.

For more information on winterizing your home, contact Paschal Heat, Air & Geothermal. We’ve proudly served northwest Arkansas for more than 40 years.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Northwest Arkansas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about winterizing your home and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock