How To Prepare Your Home for the Winter Season
Winter is fast approaching as temperatures grow colder and the leaves change colors. The fall season is an opportune time to protect your home against both seasonal change and climate change. Protecting your home against heavy wind, rain, and temperature fluctuations is key to ensuring its structural health and longevity. In this article, we’ll cover a few different ways you can reinforce your home’s defenses and prevent possible damages.
Seal Up Drafts
You’d be surprised how much energy is wasted with a single drafty window or door. Natural settling of the home or unseen damages can cause warping or spaces that allow air to pass freely in and out of the home. This means your energy system has to work harder to match the set internal temperature, which costs you more money. Check your doors and windows for openings or gapping that could allow outside air in. Simply replacing the weatherstripping can make all the difference.
Clean Out Your Gutters
In the fall, you’ll need to regularly check and clean out your gutters of foliage, which can build up and prevent water from draining through the downspout. Clogged gutters are a concern because they can lead to water pooling and soaking through the various layers of your roof. As the weather gets colder, this water can start to freeze and damage both your roof and gutter system. Keep your gutters clean to allow water to flow freely away from the home and to prevent further damages during winter storms.
Watch the Thermostat
It’s best to keep your home temperature no lower than about 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything lower can cause your pipes to freeze and expand, resulting in leaks, cracks, and breaks in faucets and pipes. Be sure to turn off outdoor faucets and cover them using protective insulation kits. You can also install a leak detection system that will alert you of any issues and automatically shut down the water system to minimize damage.
Make Necessary Upgrades
If you live in an area that experiences heavy storms and high winds, such as coastal Delaware, it may pay off to invest in impact-resistant doors and windows. Pelting snow or hail can cause the glass to crack or break, leaving your home’s interior exposed. Impact-resistant materials make it harder for impact damages to occur. They also improve insulation and help to reduce outside noise.
Keep in mind that spring, summer, and fall are the best times of year for more involved projects, as colder conditions make it more difficult to make repairs or replacements.
Here at Advance Inc., we pride ourselves on providing customers and communities reliable resources and exceptional services. We understand how stressful it can be to look at the calendar and realize you need to prepare your home for the winter season, let alone gather necessary materials during an ongoing pandemic. Advance Inc. is ready to assist you in your next maintenance, repair, or upgrade project before the cold settles in for the next few months.
Contact us to speak to a representative and explore our website to learn more about our services.