So you've pulled your sweaters out
of mothballs and found your mittens at the bottom of the coat closet. But what
about your house -- is it prepared for the cold months ahead? We've boiled down your autumn to-do list to 10
easy tips and our Handyman Service department is ready to help you winterize
your home! Call us at 615-443-1629. 1. Clean those gutters Once the leaves fall, remove them and other debris from your home's gutters -- so that winter's rain and melting snow can drain. Clogged drains can form ice dams, in which water backs up, freezes and causes water to seep into the house, the Insurance Information Institute says. Also, make sure the downspouts are carrying water away from the house's foundation, where it could cause flooding or other water damage. The rule of thumb is that water should be at least 10 feet away from the house. 2. Block those leaks One of the best ways to winterize your home is to simply block obvious leaks around your house, both inside and out, experts say. The average American home has leaks that amount to a nine-square-foot hole in the wall.
First, find the leaks: Check the
most common drafty areas: recessed lighting, window and door frames, electrical
outlets.
Then, install door sweeps to close
spaces under exterior doors, and caulk those drafty spots. Outlet gaskets can
easily be installed in electrical outlets that share a home's outer walls,
where cold air often enters. Outside, seal leaks with
weather-resistant caulk. For brick areas, use masonry sealer, which will better
stand up to freezing and thawing. Even if it's a small crack, it's worth
sealing up. It also discourages any insects from entering your home. Randy
Armstrong Construction can help you with all of your brick and stone masonry
repairs! 3. Insulate Another thing that does cost a little money -- but boy, you do get the money back quick -- is adding insulation to the existing insulation in the attic. Regardless of the climate conditions you live in, in the (U.S.) you need a minimum of 12 inches of insulation in your attic. Don't clutter your brain with
R-values or measuring tape, though. Here's the rule of thumb on whether you need to add
insulation: If you go into the attic and you can see the ceiling joists you
know you don't have enough, because a ceiling joist is at most 10 or 11 inches. Randy Armstrong Construction can
help you with all your home insulation needs! 4. Check the furnace First, turn your furnace on now, to make sure it's even working, before the coldest weather descends. A strong, odd, short-lasting smell is natural when firing up the furnace in the autumn; simply open windows to dissipate it. But if the smell lasts a long time, shut down the furnace and call a professional. It's a good idea to have furnaces
cleaned and tuned annually. Costs will often run about $100-$125. An inspector
should do the following, among other things: Throughout the winter you should
change the furnace filters regularly (check them monthly). A dirty filter
impedes air flow, reduces efficiency and could even cause a fire in an extreme
case. Toss out the dirty fiberglass filters; reusable electrostatic or
electronic filters can be washed. 5. Get your ducts in a row According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a home with central heating can lose up to 60% of its heated air before that air reaches the vents if ductwork is not well-connected and insulated, or if it must travel through unheated spaces. That's a huge amount of wasted money, not to mention a chilly house.
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Ducts aren't always easy to see, but
you can often find them exposed in the attic, the basement
and crawlspaces. Repair places where pipes are pinched, which impedes flow
of heated air to the house, and fix gaps with a metal-backed tape (duct tape
actually doesn't stand up to the job over time). Ducts also should be vacuumed once
every few years, to clean out the abundant dust, animal hair and other gunk
that can gather in them and cause respiratory problems. 6. Face your windows Now, of course, is the time to take down the window screens and put up storm windows, which provide an extra layer of protection and warmth for the home. Storm windows are particularly helpful if you have old, single-pane glass windows. But if you don't have storm windows, and your windows are leaky or drafty, they need to be updated to a more efficient window. Call Randy Armstrong Construction for replacement windows.
615-443-1629 7. Don't forget the chimney Ideally, spring is the time to think about your chimney, because "chimney sweeps are going crazy right now, as you might have guessed," says Ashley Eldridge, director of education for the Chimney Safety Institute of America. That said, don't put off your
chimney needs before using your fireplace, Eldridge advises. "A common
myth is that a chimney needs to be swept every year," says Eldridge. Not
true. But a chimney should at least be inspected before use each year, he adds.
"I've seen tennis balls and ducks in chimneys," he says. Ask for a Level 1 inspection, in which
the professional examines the readily accessible portions of the chimney,
Eldridge says. "Most certified chimney sweeps include a Level 1 service
with a sweep," he adds. Woodstoves are a different beast,
however, cautions Eldridge. They should be swept more than once a year. A
general rule of thumb is that a cleaning should be performed for every ¼ inch
of creosote, "anywhere that it's found." Why? "If it's ash, then
it's primarily lye -- the same stuff that was once used to make soap, and it's
very acidic." It can cause mortar and the metal damper to rot, Eldridge
says. Another tip: Install a protective
cap on your chimney, with a screen, advises Eldridge. "It's probably the
single easiest protection" because it keeps out foreign objects (birds,
tennis balls) as well as rain that can mix with the ash and eat away at the
fireplace's walls. He advises buying based on durability, not appearance. One other reminder: To keep out cold
air, fireplace owners should keep their chimney's damper closed when the fireplace
isn't in use. And for the same reason, woodstove owners should have glass doors
on their stoves, and keep them closed when the stove isn't in use. Don’t have a fireplace! Randy
Armstrong Construction builds custom Indoor and Outdoor fireplaces! Call us
today for a FREE estimate and design consultation! 615-443-1629. 8. Reverse that fan Reversing your ceiling fan is a small tip that people don't often think of. By reversing its direction from the summer operation, the fan will push warm air downward and force it to recirculate, keeping you more comfortable. (Here's how you know the fan is ready for winter: As you look up, the blades should be turning clockwise.) 9. Wrap those pipes A burst pipe caused by a winter freeze is a nightmare. Prevent it before Jack Frost sets his grip: Before freezing nights hit, make certain that the water to your hose bibs is shut off inside your house (via a turnoff valve), and that the lines are drained. Next, go looking for other pipes
that aren't insulated, or that pass through unheated spaces -- pipes that run
through crawlspaces, basements or garages. Wrap them with pre-molded foam
rubber sleeves or fiberglass insulation, available at hardware stores. If
you're really worried about a pipe freezing, you can first wrap it with heating
tape, which is basically an electrical cord that emits heat. 10. Finally, check those alarms This is a great time to check the operation -- and change the batteries -- on your home's smoke detectors. Detectors should be replaced every 10 years, fire officials say. Test them -- older ones in particular -- with a small bit of actual smoke, and not just by pressing the "test" button. Check to see that your fire extinguisher is still where it should be, and still works. Also, invest in a carbon-monoxide
detector; every home should have at least one. Call our Handyman Service for all
your home maintenance needs! 615-443-1629 |
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