Winterize Your House This Coming Fall

| Monday, October 3, 2011
By Dana C. Lininger


Spring cleaning is something a lot of people do, but probably only a few people understand what it is to winterize your home. It is a good plan every fall, to take a look at the house and see if it is prepared to get through another winter. Fall season, with the attendant dying out of leafy growth, is a good time to examine your house's walls, since it will be easier to spot any shrubs that are becoming invasive. Clean out roots and vines clinging to the siding, or else they may cause damage - even bricks are vulnerable.

When they are no longer needed to do any watering, the hose pipe should all be emptied and rolled up to be put into storage for the winter. The water supply to faucets outside the house must be cut, and then these can dry out. If you are through with your backyard furniture for the year, clean it up and then store it in a dry spot. All young trees you may have planted, it is best to protect them with mulch, especially if it is their first winter. To help prevent your yard from getting sodden if heavy rains occur, make sure that any drainage ditches are clear.

Fireplaces pop into your head when the weather begins getting colder. Get your chimney swept soon enough, before the first cold spell, because that's typically when everyone wakes up and wants it done. If you use fire wood, do not postpone in finding someone and getting a good supply built up. When traveling around rural areas, you might find local people who sell fire wood, without lots of advertising.

Check out and confirm that all the smoke alarm systems are working, irrespective of whether you light fires in winter or not. If you leave your Holiday lights up for the whole year, check that the cords continue to be flexible. If you typically mount storm windows, the time has come to do it. You should assess if any of the weather-stripping has become dried out from the summer's heat and has to be replaced.

Verify the effective working order of the stove hood filters, since during winter the windows are mostly closed. Check the dirt around your home to make sure that it still slopes away. If water appears to drain into the basement, or the foundation, that can be bad news for your house. In the first instance it leads to wet rot, which could change to dry rot after some time, which you sincerely want to do without. You need to search for seepage regularly.

It seems to be inevitable that leaks come, and the most likely places are the roof, the gutter and down-spouts, and the inside plumbing. It goes without saying, but all the leaks should be repaired. Encapsulate any exterior pipes, undoubtedly so if your house is older, and cut down drafts by placing a cover over air-conditioning units. Your carpets and rugs ought to be shampooed to clear out dust which in winter is readily noticed. As long as you're at it, you might likewise thoroughly clean the windows.




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