Maintenance tips to Get Ready for Winter
Winter is on its way and usually arrives before we are fully ready for it.
I hate to say it but winterizing and maintaining your home for the Canadian Winter months is an act of necessity and survival. So much so, I devoted this whole blog to it.
While I love the cozy nights by the fire with sweaters and blankets, there is an entire checklist of things that have to be done around the house in order to be able to sit back and enjoy them!
My best advice for preparing your home for winter is to get on the maintenance checklist in the fall! If you leave it until winter and you have a problem, the discomfort and irritation are significantly harsher than if you address it in the fall.
Our homes do get tested for their efficiency in the wintertime. Unfortunately, damage and Issues resulting from the winter weather are far more common than any other season.
To best prepare for damage from the elements, including flooding, snow, ice and wind, I recommend taking a good thorough look at your home in the fall and prevent much of it with these maintenance tips:
Increase your Energy Efficiency
There are many ways to make your home more energy-efficient and I try every fall to address at least one. Adding in more insulation, caulking around windows and doors or sealing cracks or air escapes into the ducts or walls can go a long way to slowing down the heightened heating bills we face every winter.
Inspect your Exterior
If damage is going to happen to your exterior in the wintertime, it could very well be offering you a hint toward that in the fall. Taking the time to inspect your roof for damaged shingles that are curling, buckling or crackling may be replaceable before you end up with water leakage later on. Windows and Cills may need protection by simply caulking around the outside to protect your windows and save you some energy bills at the same time. Cracks in your driveway and walkways should be repaired to prevent further damage.
Deal with where the water goes
Typically this is considered a spring task, but having your eavestroughs clear of debris before winter is your best defence against damaging your foundation and roof from water (usually from snow or ice). Downspouts that get clogged can send your water toward the house instead of away from it. I also make sure to turn off the valves to exterior hoses and make sure all the water is drained out of pipes and hoses are disconnected.
Check your interior is all functioning properly.
In the fall, smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors should be monitored before your house starts heating up from your furnace and other sources. Replacing filters and testing your furnace before the cold weather hits is honestly the best way to avoid the discomfort and emergency professional bills if something isn’t working when you really need it.
Storing and Organizing your Outdoors for winter.
I don’t know about you but I love to park my car in the garage in the winter! I also hate the job of cleaning out the garage and shed when I am cold, so tackling that project in the fall months is another reason to get it set while you are putting away to storage all your outdoor furniture, summer tires, bikes and gardening tools. Bring to the forefront the shovels and snow tires!