Ah, winter! The crisp, cool air. The clean, bright snow. The frozen water pipes. Get your home ready for winter with these basic maintenance tips.
- Clean your gutters. You knew this was coming. Clear the fall leaves out of your gutters to prevent water, ice, and snow from accumulating and causing an even bigger mess for you to tackle when Spring arrives.
- Clean the fireplace and chimney. Along with helping to protect against carbon monoxide poisoning, cleaning the fireplace and chimney will help keep your home warm and clean. Maybe leave the chimney to a professional, though. They can inspect the damper to ensure it’s working properly.
- Remove window unit air conditioners. Unless an oppressive Indian Summer heatwave arrives, keeping your window units in throughout winter is counterproductive to keeping your home warm.
- Install storm windows. Goodbye, screens, hello, storm windows! They’ll add a little extra insulation to keep heat from escaping through the pane or seams.
- Prepare the water heater. Drain the water heater and clear any debris that’s settled. Have a professional come and inspect it to be sure it’s running properly and doesn’t require any significant maintenance.
- Change furnace filters. Change your filters at the onset of each new season to stay warm (or cool) all year long.
