July 29, 2016
If you’ve ever heard the phrase, “It’s time for spring cleaning” then you may have also heard the term “winterizing”. Each season, precautions and preparations are needed to maintain a home. In spring we clean out the dust balls, in summer we can barely keep up with our growing grass, in fall we pick up leaves and prepare our homes for the cold weather. Preparing for winter takes some effort, but we have some quick tips to protect your home from the damages that can happen during the winter months.
Disconnect any hoses and store them inside. The season for gardening is over and in order to preserve your hoses from punctures and tearing, it’s best to store them indoors at room temperature. This also ensures that your water is turned off outside, making sure that you don’t inadvertently run your hose all winter.
Clean your gutters. No one really enjoys cleaning their gutters, but every home needs a little TLC. Just remember that by taking all of that gunk out of your gutters will reduce your risk of you basement flooding during storms this winter and spring.
Maintain your garden. You may be a garden enthusiast. Whether or not the garden is where you like to spend your time after work, you should trim any nearby trees or shrubs. Ice and snow will weigh down branches. The best way to prevent trees from crashing down onto your roof or on to your power lines it to keep them away from trouble spots as best as you can.
Make sure that your mailbox is clearly marked. More times than any of us recount at Haly Oil, is sliding down our driveways to get our mail, only to realize that our mailboxes are in snow piles down the street or they’re leaning provocatively into the road. Take a moment to put another set of colorful address magnets on the other side or to fresh up the paint job. This will make it easier for you and others to find your mailbox in inclement weather. Christmas is coming and it’s always difficult to read home addresses to make sure you’re arriving at the right house.
Snow Markers along your driveway can be placed in the ground before the first snowstorm. They will help guide you in finding where the limits to your driveway are, where that pesky footpath starts, and where the edge of you lawn is, in case you’ve ever had a plow, plow away some of your lawn…
Keep all oil fills, furnace and dryer vents above snow levels. Keeping your ventilation unit clear is important because everything that you want to leave your home can find its way into your home if the vents aren’t cleared of ice and snow.
Regularly replace your furnace filter. Occasionally checking your furnace’s filter for buildup will increase the heating efficiency of your furnace. And when you keep the filter clean it means that you will keep your air clean. This simple step reduces the risk of CO2 entering your home.
Get a setback thermostat. This means that you can schedule the temperature at different times throughout the day. You can schedule your heat to be on 64 in the morning and throughout the day and 70 for 5pm when you’re on your way home.
Staying warm and getting your home prepared for the winter months doesn’t have to be a hassle. With regular maintenance your home will stay warm and will stay in top-notch condition. Avoiding those pesky problems that can end up costing you an arm and a leg will be a lot easier with our “Eight Ways to Winterize Your Home.”