10 Tips for Winterizing Your Home

Winter has arrived. You can tell by the bare trees, early evenings, and layer of frost each morning. If you haven’t winterized your home yet, there’s still time. Run through these winterization tips to keep your home safe, efficient and warm all winter.

1. Request Maintenance for Your Home’s Heating

Your furnace has been dormant all summer. To prepare it for another heating season, request a visit from a qualified technician to inspect, clean and tune up the equipment. The most cost-effective way to keep your heating system in good shape over the years is to sign up for a Maintenance+ membership.

2. Have Your Fireplace Inspected

Get a professional to evaluate and clean your wood-burning stove or fireplace once a year. This service removes ash, soot and creosote buildup, which can trigger chimney fires. It also provides you peace of mind that the masonry, chimney liner, crown, and other fireplace components are in suitable condition.

3. Seal Air Leaks

As you prepare to run your furnace all winter, try to find and seal air leaks that will allow cold outdoor air to get inside. The easiest way to notice leaks is to hold a lit candle or incense stick all around areas that could be leaky, such as near windows and doors, recessed light fixtures, plumbing penetrations and electrical outlets. Then, seal the leaks you’ve found with weatherstripping, caulk, foam gaskets and expanding spray foam.

4. Run Ceiling Fans in Reverse

Ceiling fans keep you cool during the summer, but they can also disperse warm air down to the living space in the winter. For the best results, set your fans on low and flip the switch to run them in reverse. This method is most effective in stairwells and rooms with tall ceilings.

5. Install Insulating Drapes

Another way to winterize your home is to trade out delicate, summery window coverings for thicker, insulating drapes. Make sure to pull back the drapes during the day so the sun warms your home for free. Then, close the curtains after dark for added insulation against the cold night air.

6. Insulate Your Pipes

As the temperature falls, exposed pipes are vulnerable to freezing and bursting. Put in foam pipe insulation to plumbing in the garage, crawlspace or unfinished basement to prevent this. Electric heat tape beneath the insulation gives you an extra layer of protection in particularly cold climates.

7. Install Smoke Alarms & Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Sealing up your house, baking more and heating with combustion appliances raises the risk of home fires and carbon monoxide poisoning over the winter. Be careful with matches, candles and other open flames, and make sure your smoke alarms are functioning. Then, add CO detectors on every floor of your home, particularly outside sleeping areas. Test your alarms each month and swap out the batteries every six months.

8. Upgrade to a Programmable Thermostat

Do you still use an old analog thermostat? You can save on heating bills this winter by upgrading to a programmable model. Pre-programmed settings fine-tune the temperature throughout the day, so you can set it and forget it. A Wi-Fi thermostat is a modern option with the capability to modify the settings remotely by using an internet-enabled device. You also benefit from automatically generated energy reports and maintenance recommendations.

9. Prevent Ice Dams

Ice dams are ridges of ice that develop along the eaves, preventing melted snow from draining off the roof. Left unaddressed, ice dams can allow water to flow under the shingles and damage things in the attic. Use these tips to deter ice dams this winter:

• Clean the gutters so water can drain like it should.
• Ventilate the attic to stop heat buildup that can melt snow from below.
• Seal attic floor penetrations to stop warm air from rising through the ceiling.

• Insulate the attic floor to further reduce heat transfer through the ceiling.
• Seal and insulate ductwork up in the attic.
• Ensure your kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans and the dryer vent lead outside the house, not into the attic.

10. Keep Deicer Handy

Slips and falls are particularly common in icy winter weather. Keep your sidewalks and driveway safe for pedestrians by applying salt, kitty litter or chemical deicer across the pavement to melt the ice and snow. Don’t forget to read the directions for specific application tips and suggested precautions.

Winterizing Your Home with Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning

Many winterization tips relate primarily to your home heating, cooling, and plumbing systems. If you need help winterizing your home, reach out to Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning. We offer excellent furnace maintenance and repair, plumbing support, and other services to prepare your home for winter weather. For more info about our services or to request an estimate, please contact your local Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning office today.