If you live in a location where the change to winter has a larger affect on your home than someone who lives in an area where it doesn’t get as cold, then it is a good idea to winterize your home and have it ready to handle whatever the cold season may bring. A good place to start is by cleaning the gutters of leaves and debris which is best done when the fall of leaves from autumn is ninety nine percent complete. Getting the gutters cleaned out helps to stop any clogging of drains and the formation of ice dams, which can do a certain amount of damage if the melting water seeps into the house because it can’t drain away. Using a hose to wash the gutters out will help to locate any leaks or pipes that are not aligned, and downspouts that may not be carrying water away from the house properly.
The next step to help winterize your home is to find areas where drafts may be coming in. Check electrical outlets, doors and windows, recessed lighting areas, chimneys and anywhere else you may suspect could have a draft hole. Finding where these draft holes are can be done by using something that will cause smoke, such as an incense stick, cigarette or something else. Pick a day when there is air movement such as a breeze and check around the inside of the house, if there is a draft it will affect the smoke pattern. Once you find a leak decide on the best way to treat it, both inside and outside will need to be done to do the job properly. Brick areas can be treated with masonry sealer, gaskets can be applied to electrical outlets, door sweeps are useful for exterior doors, and most other areas can be treated with the different types of caulks that are available.
Other things to do to winterize your home, is to check the furnace is working properly and change the filter. Having it cleaned and checked will help it run efficiently. If you have ducts in the home, check the insulation, check for impeded air flow with any pinched piping, and vacuum if there is dirt build up as this may cause respiratory problems. Ducts are generally found in the attic, basement and crawl spaces. Installing the storm windows if you use them is another thing that has to be done at this time of year, and this can be done by removing the screens and fixing the storm windows in place. If you have a chimney then this should be checked to see if it needs cleaning. This can be done each alternate year, and if you are in doubt a chimney sweep can do a check for you. A cap for the chimney is also a good idea and keeping the damper closed will help reduce cold air when the chimney is not in use. If you have a wood stove this will need a clean more often due to the build-up of residue in the chimney. Pipes freezing and bursting can be another problem, so check throughout the house and insulate all water piping, even in crawlspaces, basements or anywhere else where they may be exposed to freezing and drain any pipes not being used during the winter months. It is also a good idea to check the smoke alarm and fire extinguisher and make sure they are working.