Ways to Prepare the Home for Winter

With winter fast approaching, homeowners should make the necessary preparations to avoid issues when the cold weather arrives. Aside from taking out winter clothing from the closet, homeowners should also prepare the home for the season. Protecting your property allows you to avoid the damage that the cold weather brings.

Here are the things that homeowners should do to prepare their homes for winter.

Clean the Gutter and Drains

Cleaning the gutters and drains is the first thing you should do to prepare your home for winter. You should make sure the home is ready for the rain, snow, and ice that come with a winter storm. Maintaining the gutter and drain of the house reduces the risk of damage when winter comes.

You should remove any debris you find in the gutter and drain. This reduces the chances of water overflowing when it rains. It also prevents water from accumulating in them, which will turn to ice when the weather is cold.

Snow and ice buildup in the gutter will cause ice dams to form. When this happens, water will not drain properly. The water will even seep through the walls and ceiling, which is a major issue that you do not want to deal with in the middle of winter. To prevent this, you should make sure to clean the gutters and drain.

Check the Radiators

The cold weather is a major problem for people who have health issues. To avoid this, you should check the radiator before winter comes. Bleeding the radiator allows ensures they are running at full capacity during the cold season. It also increases the efficiency of the heating system.

Bleeding a radiator is not challenging. The first thing you need to do is turn on all the radiators and set them at their maximum temperature. After a few minutes, you should turn off the heating system and allow the radiators to cool.

At this point, you should bleed the radiators one at a time. The first radiator that you should bleed is the unit that is located close to the boiler. To bleed it, you have to turn it off and position a tray under the bleed valve before opening it. After opening it, allow the air to come out. You should expect water to come out as well, which is why you need to put a tray under the valve.

After bleeding all the radiators in the house, you should make sure that the air pressure in the boiler is set correctly. The correct air pressure is between one and two bars or the green zone of the pressure indicator.

Since you are already checking the heating system, you should also take the opportunity to check the house’s cooling system. Due to this, you should also check the air-conditioning unit to ensure it’s running fine. Taking advantage of the season to check the equipment is ideal, especially if spring and summer become unbearably hot.

Clean the Dryer Vents

Cleaning the dryer vent is also important since you will use the dryer more often when winter comes. You should take note that around 34 percent of home dryer fires are due to the failure to clean the dryer. To reduce the fire risk, you should remove any lint buildup in the vents.

You should clean the lint filter, which is located in front of the clothes dryer. Make sure to scrape out the lint you find on the filter. Using a vacuum allows you to remove any lint in the lint trap. Then, you should clean the lint vents. You can find the lint vents behind most dryers.

At this point, you will need a screwdriver to remove the vent. A dryer vent brush is useful in cleaning the piping. You should make sure to take out all the lint you find to reduce the risk of fire.

Weatherproof Pipes in the Yard

If you have a garden, you’ll likely have pipes outside the house. You should weatherproof these pipes to prevent them from freezing. When water freezes inside the pipes, they will crack. And once the ice thaws, you’ll find yourself inundated by a lot of water in your yard.

The first thing you should do is to check for any damage to the pipes. Then, you should turn off the main water valve for the exterior pipes and drain the water. You should ensure the pipes are fully drained to prevent water from turning to ice once winter comes.

Preparing for winter is important since it will not make it easy to perform emergency repairs when the cold weather comes.