The Holiday spirit is in the air. You can almost feel it – literally! One thing’s for sure, we get more than just snowfall as the temperature continues to dip. As homeowners, we also know how cumbersome it is to prepare for the long winter season.
It’s not always an easy feat to maintain and improve your home during this period. Then again, you have to protect your property from the freeze and avoid costly damages.
Use these tips to secure your home throughout the season.
1. Turn off your irrigation systems
If you have a sprinkler system at your backyard, it’s important that you cut off the water supply as early as autumn. When water freezes over, it expands and causes your pipes to rupture.
You already know how costly it is to repair your irrigation, so it’s best to turn off the water. As an added measure, you will have to drain out the remaining water. Each system requires a different approach to draining, but generally, you would want to open your drain valves and let the residual water flow out.
2. Clean out your fireplace
Winter isn’t complete without the image of a family huddled near the fireplace. But before you begin roasting chestnuts over the fire, you will have to clean out your chimney and make sure it’s clear of any debris.
For this, you will need to check the chimney and see if you find anything that’s blocking the chamber. Next, you will need to sweep it clean of any residue and char. That way, Santa won’t have trouble cleaning his suit when he returns to the North Pole!
3. Check your wires
Christmas is that time of year where the neighborhood lights up in an array of colors. However, you will need to check your electrical connections first before you start decorating your home with Christmas lights.
You can have a professional electrician to check your cables and sockets. Short-circuited connections account for a majority of household fire hazards, so make sure to repair exposed wires and replace defective switches and outlets.
4. Weatherstrip your windows
Warming up for the winter can get very costly. The best approach to this issue is to check your windows for leaks and gaps that cause warm air to flow out of your home.
It’s only a simple matter of choosing a good quality weatherstripping foam. Other than foam, you can install other weatherstripping materials as well, such as reinforced vinyl and rubber. Make sure to carefully install these materials to prevent heat escape.
5. Protect your landscaping and patio
If you’re living in areas where winter can reach subarctic conditions, you will need to prep the surroundings from heavy snowfall. If you have sun-loving plants in pots, it’s best that you bring them indoors and place them under warm lamps.
For your patio, heavy snow and the cold itself can damage fixtures such as benches and tables. You can either store these in the garage or protect them with a winter-proof tarp. That way, you can still use these in time for Spring.
Home maintenance is a year-round responsibility. That being said, there’s no temperature cold enough to keep us from giving our homes the tender, loves, and care that they deserve.
Check out our other blogs for more tips on home maintenance.