‘Tis the season – the season for hot chocolate, gift giving, and snow angels. However, with all of these things also comes the need for winter home maintenance. Make sure your home is ready for the weather yet to come with this 5 tips for winter home maintenance
1. Check Your Heating System: One of your home’s MVP’s this winter will likely be your house’s heating system. To make sure that your unit is in tip-top shape, have it inspected by an HVAC specialist. Not only will a trained technician check to make sure that your furnace is clean and in good repair, they can also make sure that is it performing to its manufacturer-rated efficiency. Don’t forget to follow-up by cleaning and replacing your furnace filters monthly.
Reverse Your Ceiling Fan: While it may seem counter-intuitive to have the fan on in the middle of winter, a fan turning in a clockwise direction can actually create an upward draft and push down the room heated air from the ceiling. Thus, if your fan has a reverse switch, utilize it!
Inspect Your Exterior: Before too much snow falls upon it, head outdoors and carefully inspect your roof. Look for any loose, damaged or missing shingles that may not make it through the winter or may result in winter water leakage. Also use your time outdoors to clean your gutters to prevent buildup and debris which could result in ice dams.
Manage Your Gear: Don’t wait until the first snow storm to stock up on outdoor cold weather essentials. Take time now to purchase salt or ice melt. And, as you take out your snow blower, don’t forget to properly store your lawn mower. Run your tank to empty to prevent fuel from decomposing in the engine over the winter.
Check Your Chimney: Have your fireplace professionally cleaned and the damper checked for proper operation.
As we all know, a little winter home maintenance now will save us time and money down the road!