10 tips to get you all set for snow and cold
10. Clean the gutters
Remove leaves and other debris from your home’s gutters so that rain and melting snow can drain. Clogged drains can form ice dams, in which water backs up, freezes and causes water to seep into the house.
Look for leaks as you hose out your gutters.
9. Check for drafts
One of the best ways to winterize your home is to simply block obvious leaks around your house, both inside and out.
To find the leaks, walk around inside holding a lit incense stick to the most common drafty areas: recessed lighting, window and door frames, electrical outlets.
To block the leaks, buy door sweeps to close spaces under exterior doors, and caulk or apply tacky rope caulk to those drafty spots. Outlet gaskets can easily be installed in electrical outlets that share a home’s outer walls, where cold air often enters.
Outside, seal leaks with weather-resistant caulk. For brick areas, use masonry sealer, which will better stand up to freezing and thawing.
8. Insulate yourself
Regardless of the climate conditions you live in, you need a minimum of 12 inches of insulation in your attic.
A related tip: If you’re layering insulation atop other insulation, don’t use the kind that has “kraft face” finish (i.e., a paper backing). It acts as a vapor barrier and therefore can cause moisture problems in the insulation
7. Check the furnace
First, turn your furnace on now, to make sure it’s even working, before the coldest weather descends. A strong, odd, short-lasting smell is natural when firing up the furnace in the autumn; simply open windows to dissipate it. But if the smell lasts a long time, shut down the furnace and call a professional.
6. Check your heating ducts
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a home with central heating can lose up to 60% of its heated air before that air reaches the vents if ductwork is not well-connected and insulated, or if it must travel through unheated spaces.
Ducts also should be vacuumed once every few years, to clean out the abundant dust, animal hair and other gunk that can gather in them and cause respiratory problems.
5. Check your windows
Now, of course, is the time to take down the window screens and put up storm windows, which provide an extra layer of protection and warmth for the home. Storm windows are particularly helpful if you have old, single-pane glass windows.
4. Check the chimney
Have your chimney checked before using your fireplace.
To keep out cold air, fireplace owners should keep their chimney’s damper closed when the fireplace isn’t in use. And for the same reason, woodstove owners should have glass doors on their stoves, and keep them closed when the stove isn’t in use.
3. Reverse your ceiling fan
By reversing the direction of your ceiling fan, it will push warm air downward and force it to recirculate, keeping you more comfortable.
2. Wrap your pipes
Before freezing nights hit, make certain that the water to your hose bibs is shut off inside your house via the turnoff valve, and that the lines are drained.
Next, go looking for other pipes that aren’t insulated, or that pass through unheated spaces — pipes that run through crawlspaces, basements or garages. Wrap them with pre-molded foam rubber sleeves or fiberglass insulation, available at hardware stores. If you’re really worried about a pipe freezing, you can first wrap it with heating tape, which is basically an electrical cord that emits heat.
1. Check your alarms
This is a great time to check the operation of, and change the batteries in, your home’s smoke detectors. Test them with a small bit of actual smoke, and not just by pressing the “test” button. Check to see that your fire extinguisher is still where it should be, and still works.
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