It’s Not Too Late to Prepare Your Home for Winter Weather!

Although it’s important to winterize your home before the weather gets cold, life often gets so hectic that, before you know it, the year is over, the world is frozen, and you’ve already paid a fortune in heating bills.
On one hand, this is probably the last big snow storm of the season. But, on the other hand, is that you can still do something about it; and the bitter cold and snow can give you a good idea of what needs to be fixed. Now, you won’t have to search for gaps and cracks that let air in, because the bone-chilling gusts of wind that whip through your living room will help you to easily pinpoint them. Just get some weather-stripping, caulk, or heat-shrinking plastic, and seal them.
A substantial snowfall can also tell you a lot. If it melts rapidly from atop your shingles, and icicles form quickly, without a thaw, it means that heat is escaping in the exact direction in which your heating bills have been heading – through the roof. Check your attic floor to see that it has adequate, evenly-distributed, gap-free insulation, of uniform thickness. If you have to add more, be sure that the side with the vapor barrier is facing down, toward the rooms that you want to keep warm.
If you have not taken measures to prevent your pipes from freezing, do it now. You can use foam insulation sleeves, or electric heat tape, but don’t use the latter on plastic pipes. If a severe cold snap is imminent, turn the sink and bathtub faucets on to a slow trickle, and cover exposed crawl space vents with plywood.
If your porch chairs, gliders, swings, and picnic tables are still outside, and they’re not the synthetic or metal types that are impervious to the elements, either store them, or put outdoor furniture covers on them.

Break up any ice dams that form along the eaves, as they can cause melting snow to puddle and leak through your roof. Wherever possible, sweep snow off roofs that have shallow angles, on your house, garage, gazebo, carport, cabana, or pool house,

Starting to repair problems with your insulation and pipes now will mean that you’ll be ready for winter next year! Using the information your house gives you when suffering under winter’s hardships now, will allow you to prepare your home in best way.