As I sat down to compose the third installment in this winterization of your home series, I did consider the possibility of people reading these posts and deeming this knowledge to be common sense. If this is the case, I applaud you for being well-versed in this information, but I figure there has to be someone out there who could truly benefit from knowing how to prepare their home for Winter. I’m not here to judge anyone, and if these posts can truly be of assistance to anyone, then I deem this miniseries a win.
The first post in this series shared information pertaining to how to winterize the exterior of your home, and the second addressed how to do the same for your home’s interior. Today’s post will share some information regarding both the interior and exterior of your home, but these tips are intended to be put into practice for the entirety of the Winter season as opposed to solely being done before the cold weather arrives.
Again, this information comes from mrhandyman.com.
“Exterior Tasks
- Continue to monitor the roof for any ice dams or damage. Icicles hanging from your roof line is an indication of a poorly insulated attic and a potential ice damn threat.
- Keep large snowdrifts from piling up against your home.
- Keep driveways and walkways clear of snow between storms.
- For heavy snow years, make sure your roof can sustain the weight. Otherwise, get a roof rake to remove large snow loads.
- Use sand or gravel on walkways for traction. Salt/ice-melt is also effective but has a narrow operating temperature range and isn’t very environmentally friendly.
- Maintain your snow removal equipment.
“Interior Tasks
- Replace your HVAC air filter every three months.
- Monitor windows and doors for drafts.
- During deep cold spells (less than 15 degrees for more than 24 hours) keep all interior doors open to encourage heat circulation,” the web page instructs.
There you have it, my friends. Winter is coming.
Photo by Filip Mroz on Unsplash
