As the arctic temperatures of winter begin to squeeze most of the United States, it’s time to winter proof your home against higher bills and possible damage from broken pipes. Where to begin? The easiest thing to do is work from the outside in.
1. First unhook your garden hose and insulate your faucets. The insulators are very affordable, costing between $2 and $5 from local home stores.
2. If you have a crawl space, close your vents. The cold air blasting through your crawl space could speed up your pipes freezing which could potentially cost a ton of money.
3. Check to see that your pipes are insulated.
4. Re-caulk windows to keep the heat in and the cold out.
5. Make sure you have your chimney checked before building fires. A chimney sweep is well-worth the money if you want to keep your home safe.
6. Check your roof and gutters to prevent rain or snow from coming in.
7. Check your attic and crawl space insulation and replace any where worn out.
For more tips on how to winter proof your home, visit this site.
The final point is very important. Ensuring your insulation is up to task before winter really sets in is extremely important. Just to add a little bit to the point, if you do insulate the attic, ensure that any exposed pipes are also wrapped in an insulating material as the loft will be getting much colder and any warm water that runs through them will lose energy to the colder surroundings.