How to Winterize Your Home

When you drive through a southern state like Florida, you encounter nothing but smooth, flat roads…no potholes, no jarring bumps.

Drive through our overlapping corners of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and thing are slightly different.

That’s just one of many examples of the havoc winter can wreak all around us, including right where you live. So, while you can’t beat winter, you can be amply prepared to minimize damage and repair costs.

Here are a few helpful suggestions.

Insulate Your Home

Just as your attic and walls need insulation to retain heat, plumbing pipes exposed to freezing temps need insulation to keep water from freezing, expanding, and eventually causing pipes to burst. Pay special attention to pipes in crawl spaces and basements, and those with access points to the outdoors.

Disconnect and Drain

Once there’s no more need to water your lawn or outdoor plants, disconnect garden houses and sprinklers and drain them of water before storing. Don’t forget to shut off the water supply to outdoor faucets and drain leftover water from the pipes. For added protection, install a hose bib cover on every outdoor faucet, even those that were advertised as frost free.

Inspect & Clean

Unless you have gutter guards, you’ll want to give gutters and downspouts a thorough cleaning.  Leaves, sticks and other debris can cause water to build up and freeze.  Once an ice dam forms, your gutters can crash, roof tiles can be damaged and, once the ice melts, water can seep inside your home.  It’s not pretty and can be expensive to repair.

Caulking & Weather Stripping

Now’s a great time to determine if air is leaking outdoors.  Here’s one easy way to find out.  Light a candle and move around the outer edges of your windows and doors.  If the candle flame turns sideways, you have a leak and a need to beef up your insulation.

Fall also is the time to tend to your heating system with preventive maintenance from Correct Temp.  Ours is a very thorough cleaning and inspection process designed to improve system performance, prevent repairs, and reduce your heating costs. Contact Correct Temp today to schedule service and enjoy the added peace of mind we can help provide.