Winter Maintenance Tips For Your Home
Did you know that winter storms have caused over 1 billion dollars in insured losses within the last year? While winter is a special time of year where you can enjoy the cooler weather and the holidays, it’s also the perfect time to invest in some extra maintenance on your home.
Maintaining your home can be an expensive process, but it can significantly help you save money during the winter months. In this blog post, we’ll go over our top tips on how to prepare and maintain your home throughout the winter season.
Make Gutter Cleaning A Priority
One common mistake that homeowners make during the winter is not making gutter cleaning a priority. However, keeping your gutters clear of leaves and debris will help prevent more significant problems from forming. During the fall, leaves and debris are constantly falling, which can start to clog up your gutter. In the wintertime, snow and ice can also form in your gutters, which puts a lot of extra weight on the structure on top of any debris that’s already in there. This is why it’s essential to prepare your home by cleaning out your gutter.
If you’re unsure how to clean out your gutter thoroughly, make sure you call out a professional gutter cleaning service at least every six months, if not more often, depending on how much rain or snowfall you see throughout the year where you live.
Check For Leaks Around Your Doors & Windows
Before heading into the winter season, take some time to check your doors and windows for any leaks or openings. If you have a draft coming into your home, it can cause an increase in your energy bill since the cold is seeping inside of your house from these places.
Take some time to purchase caulk at any local hardware store, and use this on all cracks around exterior parts of your home, such as doors, windows, and sills.
Avoid Ice Dams
Ice dams can be a huge problem for homeowners during the winter months. Ice dams form on the edge of your roof, where it meets with your gutters, and they are usually caused by heat loss in your home through air leaks around poorly insulated areas such as the attic of your home.
To avoid ice dams entirely, you should make sure that all vents to your attic are cleaned at least once per year before winter hits, so no warm air is trapped inside of there when cold temperatures set in outside. Also, ensure that there are no insulation issues in your attic.
If you notice any water leaking into your ceiling from this area, then call out an expert plumber right away since this means that you have more significant problems than just getting rid of ice dams.
Invest In An Electrical Maintenance Tune-Up
One of the most overlooked areas that many homeowners fail to prepare for is their electrical system. If you have an older home, it’s likely that your wiring isn’t up-to-code and might not be able to handle extreme weather conditions outside, such as colder temperatures or heavy snowfall.
Take some time this winter season to get in touch with a professional electrician who can do a complete inspection on all parts of your home, including lighting fixtures, outlets, switches, circuit breakers, and more. It’s crucial during this process that you also discuss any concerns about safety since poorly maintained electrical systems pose a serious risk inside your house if they aren’t working correctly anymore.
Test Your Generator
If you have a backup generator, then it’s essential to test this type of system at least once per year before winter hits. Make sure that all parts are working correctly and make any necessary repairs or replacement part purchases ahead of time so you can rest easy during the coldest days when power outages might hit your area. If you have a gas generator, make sure that you have extra gas at your disposal to keep it running, as some snowstorms can knock out power for a few days or even an entire week!
Inspect Your Furnace
One of the hardest working parts of your home during the wintertime is your furnace. If you have a gas furnace, you need to ensure that the pilot light is on and working correctly before winter hits. If it’s an electric unit, keep track of your circuit breaker usage over time, so there are no issues with power outages due to overloads or faulty wiring in this area of your home.
Store Your Outdoor Equipment And Furniture
Take some time to properly store all of your outdoor equipment and furniture for the winter season. Everything from patio sets, grills, bicycles, lawnmowers, and tools should be brought inside or stored in your shed, so they don’t get damaged by water or snowfall during the cold months ahead.
When Should I Call a Professional To Help?
There’s no shame in calling out professionals to help with specific tasks around your house when something goes wrong throughout the year or as a preventative measure before the winter season. If you’re not sure how to handle certain repairs or maintenance jobs yourself, then it’s always best to contact an expert since they’ll know exactly what needs fixing most efficiently without causing any more damage inside your property along the way. This includes hiring someone who has experience dealing with extreme weather conditions like snowfall or heavy rainfall, so they know exactly what to do during these times.
Conclusion
Winter is a beautiful time of year, but it can also bring with it some serious safety concerns if you don’t prepare your home well ahead of time. Take the necessary steps now to properly maintain every part of your property during this season, including your gutters, electrical systems, heating units like furnaces or fireplaces, and more.
Don’t give in to winter blues once the cold temperatures start setting in, take action now so you can rest easy knowing your home is safe and ready for anything during these next few months! If you need additional home resources, visit our website today.
