If winter hasn’t arrived in your neck of the woods yet, it will soon. If you are new to maintaining a household, there are a number of specific chores that you need to do before and during the coldest season of the year.
In today’s blog, we’ve listed a few of the most important tasks – check them out below.
(1) Clear your gutters of debris
Yes, we know it’s an arduous task, but it’s a necessary one. Gutters clogged with leaves and other plant debris trap water. Standing water freezes, melts, and then re-freezes throughout the winter months.
Before you know it, ice dams will not only damage the system that directs water away from your property, but they will also force water into your roof. Here, it will freeze, melt, and then re-freeze just as it does outside, causing untold amounts of damage to its structural components.
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2) Seal up any and all drafts
Hate sky high heating bills? So do us. Avoid a repeat of last winter’s scandalous high payments by getting rid of every draft you can find in your house.
Start by running your hand along each of your windows – if you can feel a light breeze, you’ve found a draft. Get a caulking tube and seal around the edges until the leak ceases to exist.
Drafts also occur along doors, in fireplaces, and attics. Installing door sweeps, closing the fireplace cover when it is not in use, and installing the best insulation you can buy are all ways you can fix these issues in sequence.
3) Get your chimney swept before and during winter
When home owners buy a place with a fireplace, many fail to realize that it needs to be cleaned on a regular basis. Failing to sweep out a chimney can lead to the buildup of dangerous gases, like carbon monoxide. Additionally, accumulated debris can also lead to a flue fire, which can threaten your entire home.
This isn’t something you can do on your own. Call a professional chimney sweep, and they’ll get the job done in a safe and professional manner.
(4) Never turn the heat off when away from home
People do this to save on heating bills, only to come back to the biggest mess of their lives. When the heat is shut off to a home in winter, your pipes will eventually freeze. Ice expands, causing them to burst.
This sprays water everywhere, cutting off an essential service and creating an expensive remediation bill. When leaving home in winter, keep your thermostat at 60f/15c – you’ll thank us later!