It's never too late to perform some winter maintenance on your home. We still have two more months until Spring is here. Below are some things that help save energy, save money and protect your home.
• Make sure your home is properly insulated. If necessary, insulate the walls and attic to reduce your home's power demands for heat. Caulk and weather-strip doors and windowsills to keep cold air out.
• Install storm windows or cover windows with plastic from the inside to provide an extra layer of insulation to keep cold air out.
• Know how to shut off the main water valve and how to shut off and drain outside faucets. Outside faucets are often controlled by a valve inside the home. Keep a wrench near the valves.
• Install heat tape on water pipes. Put the tape on all exterior water pipes and interior pipes located on outside walls or anywhere else that temperatures could go below freezing. Follow the manufacturer's installation instructions.
• Protect pipes from freezing by:
– Wrapping pipes in insulation or layers of newspaper and then covering them with plastic to keep out moisture.
– Letting faucets drip a little.
And, don't forget to keep some firewood handy for a nice warm winter's day fire!
Labels: freeze, home maintenance, winter
