Prepare your home for winter so that you can weather the cold in comfort! The change in seasons signals not only the time to break out comfort food recipes and recover from the holidays but also the time to tackle some household to-dos. With colder temperatures and winter storms on the horizon, it’s worth going through the checklist of steps you can take to winterize your home—in terms of both the physical structure and lifestyle amenities.
To protect your home from frozen pipes and power outages—and to ensure you’re never without hot chocolate or hearty stews—here’s what you can do to prepare your house for the winter months.
How to Prevent Frozen Pipes
Frozen pipes aren’t just an inconvenience—they can also be costly to repair should they burst. Temperatures at or below 20 degrees Fahrenheit can cause water in the pipes to freeze. When that happens, the water—now ice—in your pipes expands and exerts pressure on the pipe. Too much pressure can lead to a ruptured pipe. I’ve seen a home in Bethesda that had frozen pipes – and radiators. When the pipes froze leading to the radiators, the pressure in the pipes exploded at the joints and blew the radiator off the wall and into the middle of the room.
The first thing to do to prepare your home for winter is to turn off all the outside hose bibs. Those are the faucets outside that you use to water your plants or wash your car. Find out where the water lines are that lead to those hose bibs and turn them off inside the house. Then turn on the hose bibs outside and let the water run until the pipes are empty. (Just a hint — the hose bib pipes are probably in your basement if you have a basement.)
After you have turned off your outside hose bibs, you should then pay attention to any pipes that run along exterior walls or have little to no insulation because they are most susceptible to freezing—as are supply pipes in unheated interior areas. If cold weather settles in and you notice temperatures beginning to drop, start a small drip of both hot water and cold water in the kitchen, bath, laundry areas and any other faucets in the home. A small water drip is all that is needed to keep water moving through the system and prevent frozen pipes.
Covering your pipes with insulation is a long-term way to prevent frozen pipes and keep your home warm when cold weather hits. You can use pipe wrap insulation that winds around the pipe, or tubular pipe insulation.
Clean Your Gutters to Prepare Your Home for Winter
Cleaning your gutters is an essential way to prepare your home for winter. If water gets trapped in your gutters during cold temperatures, it can freeze and force ice back under the edge of your home’s shingles, causing long-term damage and making your roof susceptible to leaks.
To prevent clogging, inspect and clean the gutters of leaves and other debris. For a shortcut, you could consider purchasing gutter guards. They will help keep out leaves, pine needles, roof sand grit, and other debris from your gutter, and only need to be occasionally brushed off.
Seal Holes and Cracks
A great way to prepare your home for winter in Bethesda and keep the cold out of your home is to check for any cracks and holes in your foundation. Use caulk around windows and foam outlet protectors as a preventative measure. Additionally, implementing rubber or vinyl weather stripping around doors and windows can help insulate areas where cracks let cold air in—or heat is released out. Replace your door seals, door sweeps, or thresholds to keep cold outside air from seeping into your home. For more information, here is Martha Stewart’s tips on how to seal up drafty windows and lower your heating bill.
Check Your Thermostat to Prepare Your Home for Winter
When you wake up to a freezing cold house, you will probably go downstairs to check the thermostat. If a blank screen greets you, your thermostat has given out – no doubt on the coldest day of winter – and you won’t have a working heat source to keep the inside of your home warm. If you are lucky, it is just a battery that needs to be replaced. Many thermostats require batteries, so be sure you have extra available before severe weather hits. An even better way to prepare your home for winter is to be proactive and replace the batteries before your thermostat stops working on the coldest day of the year. If the entire thermostat stops working and you need a replacement, electric heaters are the safest short-term heating solution. They can be used to effectively heat smaller spaces and should be kept away from any flammable materials. If you need a referral to a great HVAC guy, give me a call!
Have Your Chimney Swept and Checked
Before using, have a chimney sweep inspect your fireplace to ensure it operates properly and safely. If not properly maintained, a faulty fireplace can lead to a house fire or a potential carbon monoxide emergency. While you want to do this now before you use your chimney this winter, cleaning your chimney is the perfect chore to put into your calendar for next July too – getting your chimney cleaned in the summer when sweeps aren’t as busy will save you money going forward.
The chimney sweep looks for abnormalities like cracks, holes, and other forms of damage, plus nests, creosote buildup, soot, and other debris prior to firing it up. Make sure that someone also vacuums or sweeps out any accumulated ash from the firebox.
Create Emergency Kits to Prepare Your Home for Winter
Preparedness is key when it comes to severe winter weather. “The Red Cross encourages every household to have an emergency preparedness kit with essentials for evacuations, loss of power, or if you are stuck in your home for an extended period of time,” says Stephanie Fox of American Red Cross National Headquarters.
These kits should include non-perishable food items, water, extra prescription medication, a first-aid kit, copies of important documents, flashlights and lanterns with extra batteries, extra sets of warm clothing, and specific items to accommodate pets, children, the elderly, or any family members who may have a disability.
