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As fall creeps into winter, it is important to prepare your new home for the colder months bring freezing temperatures. There are a few quick and easy tasks that every homeowner can do to protect their home during the winter months. We have provided 7 to get you started!
With freezing temperatures on the way, ensuring that hoses are disconnected and put away is essential for your exterior plumbing. Additionally, you can further insulate and protect from the cold with specialized covers. These can be found at most local hardware stores!
Getting your lawn back to a beautiful green in the spring is much easier when you keep it in working order over the winter. Having your system blown out before the ground freezes is an essential step. If not blown out or drained down correctly, the remaining water in the lines can freeze and expand, which could cause damage to both the buried lines and the backflow. Once blown out and drained down for the winter, be sure to turn off the system itself as a final precaution.
Changing your furnace filter monthly is a step to take year-round, but taking extra care in the fall can help the long-term health of your system. A dirty air filter is the most common cause of furnace malfunction or failure, especially in the winter. Your filter must be changed prior to turning on your furnace for the winter.
Turn on your furnace before you need to heat your home on a cold day. By turning on your furnace in advance, you can ensure the furnace is functioning and stable prior the constant use during the winter months. The first time the furnace is turned on each year, there is likely to be a vague burning smell that vents throughout the house, along with some extra dust that is being cleared out of the furnace and ducts since the last time the furnace was used. This is normal and expected. If your furnace is not working you should; check the breaker, the main switch at the mechanical room, and the LED indicator light at the lower panel of the furnace before calling the emergency HVAC line. By turning on the furnace before it is necessary, you can avoid waiting in a queue for service on the first cold day of the season.
Your furnace should be looked at, maintained, and cleaned by a professional once per year. While you can take this step on your own, we recommend hiring a professional!
Did you know that your exterior door thresholds are adjustable? By adjusting your thresholds to create a tight seal you can eliminate drafts from exterior doors. To adjust the thresholds, remove the round plastic screw covers at the top of the threshold with a flathead screwdriver, then loosen or tighten the exposed screws to raise or lower the threshold for a tight seal along the bottom of the door.
While it may be tempting, using rock salt on concrete surfaces for the first 3 years can take a toll. Concrete can take up to 3 years to fully cure, meaning that rock salt can cause spalling and pitting of your concrete.
Just as we bundle up and wear layers in the colder months, your home needs a little extra care too! Be sure to take care of your home so that it can take care of your family for years to come!
