Winterizing Your Home
First take some notes on things you need to get from the home improvement or other store. Walk around the outside and inside to see what you’ll be needing, start with the things you’ll know first off, the furnace filter, jot down it’s size if you don’t have one of those that you wash out. I put in a filter that you cut to size and can wash out when it gets dirty. It cost $3 to $8 for a cut to size piece of this fabric that you put in for your furnace filter. Whenever you want to, you can wash it out for a clean and better filter, and it costs way less than having to buy a new one every six months.
Walk around the inside and outside and see what you need to get as far as any type of extra winterizing, plastic sheeting or window coverings, caulk or extra sealant for around doors, windows or on the roof. Many people need to check out their roof every so often and this is a good time when it’s still not cold or snowing and you have a little time to get anything you find fixed. Check around the furnace exhaust or chimney and any vents to see if you need to add any sealant. On the roof you’ll probably use that black sealant, they have stuff in tubes like caulk that you can apply in any weather, but you should not be on the roof if it’s wet, you might slip. Check around the gutters and make sure they are not falling off or loose, and get anything you might need to hook them back up.
Also jot down any things you want to keep an eye on that seems to be going bad but not enough to work on yet, things like wood starting to rot but not enough to replace, shingles looking like they are getting loose, you get the idea. Then when you get inside you should write down a list of things to watch and post it on a bulletin board or somewhere like the garage wall where you will see it and you can watch these things so you don’t forget later about them.
Go to the store and pick up all the things you will need for the winterizing, especially the furnace filter and any water softener stuff you might need. For large stuff like the softener salt, it’s easier to do this in the fall when it’s not slippery outside and still nice out, hauling things like this is sometimes better done in the fall than the dead of winter.
Some of the things you should be doing at this time and checking out I will list.
Window and door seals, sweeps
Caulk around windows, doors, and vents
Furnace filter, vacuum out furnace
Vacuum air ducts and around registers
Clean out Air Conditioner fan unit, turn off, cover
Check around foundation for holes, fill
Clean out window wells, between window panes
Check mortar around any brick work
Check siding, shingles, paint etc on house, touch up
Sidewalk, concrete, check and fill cracks
Gutters, clean and check
Drain field, septic tank treatment, if needed
Check any slow drains, get them fixed now
Fill oil or propane tanks, winter is a bad time to run out
Clean out fireplace chimney and flue
Check chimney screen to keep out animals, leaves
Check any heat tape on pipes, install any needed
Check decks, porches & stain, repair if needed
Check duct for clothes dryer, clean
Cover outside faucets, shut off inside
Cover outside outlets
Check outside lights, covers
Go around yard and put away summer stuff, furniture, pool toys, etc.
After you have been around and checked and fixed things, you can be sure that you will save at least something if you have done some fixing up on the caulk sealants and added some extra winterizing to your home. Some of things I have listed are not required in all homes but some things are good ideas to do before the bad weather hits.
There are some things that you need to do before it starts to get colder if your in a part of the country were it does get cold. You need to put in any sealant or caulk, mortar or paint in before it gets below about sixty degrees. You should be able to do things like check the foundation, mortar and any cement and fix this type of stuff before it gets cold also. If you own a fireplace you should do any maintenance on it before you use it the first time of the year. And if you own a pool you need to get it ready for the winter, drain, clean and winterize it.
Another thing that you can look into if your not as monetarily endowed as some people, in other words if you need help with your energy bills there are a couple of places you can go to get help. Check your local energy providers to see if they have help for you, there are several government and other agencies that may be able to help you pay your bills if your are lower income. You can also check your local city hall or government web site for further information. Ask them if they can provide telephone numbers or other information to get in touch with these places to help you keep up with your energy bills.
Also do a couple of things for the family vehicle at this time, it makes sense if your winterizing your home that the car could use some of this kind of treatment too. If your in a colder part of the country you should keep a winter survival kit in your car in case your stranded in a winter storm or just stuck in a ditch and can’t go for help. A small kit can make the difference between survival and that other choice, it may just save your life. It does not have to be anything elaborate, just a few things in a small backpack or something else to hold the things you put together.
Have some candles and a can to hold them in or a couple of cans of Sterno or canned heat for a heat source if your car dies on you and some matches in a plastic bag to start the candles or Sterno. When you use these crack a window in the car so you get fresh air into the vehicle. Have some food that will not require heating or cooking, some nutrition bars, candy or something that doesn’t require refrigeration. Granola bars and small individual serving cans of fruit that have the pull tops work great. Have a flashlight with extra batteries and a small battery radio to keep you company and check on the weather. Have some extra blankets or a sleeping bag or two in the trunk or under the seats for extra warmth and some extra hats, mittens and socks.
You should have the vehicle checked out for operation and to keep it running in peek performance. Just a regular check up along with the regular oil changes to make sure it running well.
When winter gets here is a bad time to find out you need to do things on your home or car, and it can be too late for some things. A few hours of time spent before the bad weather hits can make the difference and save you time and money later, and in some cases frustration and annoying repairs in the dead of winter.
