Preparing your home for cold weather should be on your to-do list as winter is approaching. Winter may seem like a gentle season with falling snow and cooler temperatures, but know that it can wreak havoc on your property.
Preparing your home for the winter season can take time and effort, but it’s worth it. You can safeguard your home from winter storms and other potential hazards and enjoy this cold season peacefully.
If you’ve no idea about how to winterize your home, don’t worry! In this article, we’ve curated a list of tips to help you prepare your home for winter. So, let’s get started:
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1. Clean Your Gutters
Cleaning your gutters is a must-to-do task for every season, but right before winter might be the most critical time. During the winter season, your home will bear additional weight, depending on the amount of snow that falls in your area. However, if your home gets too much weight, the chances are higher that the gutters will be pulled from your home.
If you don’t clean your gutters, your home will suffer a lot of water damage. During cold weather, snow melts overnight and can result in causing damage worth thousands of dollars. You need to make sure the ice has somewhere to go when it melts and stays away from your home.
2. Get A Chimney Inspection
As winter is approaching, you’re more likely to use your fireplace or wood stove for heating. But before you use your chimney, make sure to get it checked and cleaned by calling professional experts. This can prevent fire in chimneys along with other wood-burning devices.
If you have a non-working or decorative fireplace, you could lose valuable heat through an open fireplace. To prevent heat from escaping, you can invest in a chimney balloon. It can prevent heat from escaping and cold winter air from entering your place.
3. Call The Pest Control Professionals
During the winter season, your home becomes a shelter for most pests. They enter your home from entry points, such as the front door, sliding glass doors, wall cracks, holes, and crawl spaces. Pests enter your home to get warmth and some food.
One of the most common pests that enter the home during winter is rats. They usually nest in dark, secluded areas like attics and basements. Know that these rodents can cause severe damage to your property and cause serious health issues like hantavirus, Salmonella, and more. Thus, calling pest control experts near your area can be a better option to keep these rodents at bay.
The experts will identify the root cause of the problem and ensure that they won’t enter your home again. While DIY is great, it can only offer short-term results. Also, the chances of returning these pests are higher. However, to protect your house from pests during winter, you should call the professionals to get the job done.
4. Go For Roof Inspection
Now here comes the most important steps when preparing your home for winter. Before winter kicks in, make sure to get your roof inspected by professionals to look for loose or broken shingles.
The professionals will do all the minor repairs to safeguard your home from winter storms. Inspecting your roof may cost you a bit, but neglecting it can easily lead to even more bills down the road.
Winter storms, including heavy rainfall, can wreak havoc on your roof. Thus, it is crucial to get it repaired to avoid further damage.
5. Cut The Tree Branches
During winters, snow can wreak havoc on the trees, and they’re more likely to fall due to heavy weight. So, cutting back the tree branches can protect your property from damage if a branch breaks.
Ice-coated branches are heavy and can cause severe damage to your roof and create internal damage. If you cannot cut the branches independently, consider calling professionals to make all the necessary adjustments to protect your home.
6. Have The Furnace Checked
Before the winter kicks in, make sure your HVAC system (Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning) is working efficiently and safely. In case it doesn’t, consider calling the HVAC contractors and getting it repaired.
The experts will pull apart the burners, check all the sensors, and replace the filter. To keep your HVAC running smoothly, consider inspecting the filter monthly and replacing it if it turns brown or black.
Summing Up
And that’s a wrap for some ways to prepare your home for winter.
To sum up, you can perform the basic maintenance mentioned above to protect your home during the winter season.
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