10 Tips to Help Winterize Your Home

With the winter in full swing and more cold days ahead, many homeowners are wondering if they did enough to winterize their homes before the cold snap. If you only got furnace repair in Los Gatos, CA, and haven’t taken all of these steps, you might want to take an extra look and make sure you keep your home safe, efficient, and comfortable during the winter months.

1. Request Furnace Repair

The first step in getting your home ready for winter is getting furnace repair. This may seem like common sense, but many homeowners will simply turn on their heating system without a second thought. What they forget is the furnace has been unused all summer long. And it is important to schedule an inspection and furnace repair to keep the heating system in good shape.

2. Get the Fireplace Inspected

Another thing to do is get your fireplace inspected and cleaned once a year. The service will clear away any remaining ash and soot as well as creosote buildup. Any of these could result in chimney fires if not cleaned properly.

3. Seal Off Air Leaks

Next, it is important to test the home for drafts and seal off any leaks. The easiest way is passing an incense stick around the window frames and door frames to see if the smoke pulls inside. And then, using products from the hardware store, seal up any gaps you might find.

4. Run Ceiling Fans in Reverse

In winter, you should switch your ceiling fans to run in reverse. This will redistribute the warm air that collects up around the ceiling.

5. Install Thicker Drapes

With the cold weather, insulation is key. You might think about investing in solar shades or thicker drapes to help trap the heat trying to leak out of your windows.

6. Insulate Your Pipes

Another important task is insulating your pipes. When temperature drop, any exposed pipes could be vulnerable to freezing or bursting. So if there are exposed pipes in the garage, unfinished basement, or crawlspace be sure to wrap them in some insulation.

7. Check Smoke Alarms & Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Winter is a good time to swap out the batteries on your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Because most fires are caused by the furnace, electric heaters, or fireplaces. You want to make sure those alarms will go off if something ever goes wrong.

8. Upgrade Your Thermostat

If you still don’t have a programmable thermostat, consider this your sign. Now is the time to upgrade. These will not only help make your home more comfortable but also create massive energy savings all winter long.

9. Prevent Ice Dams

Ice dams occur along the eaves of the house and will block snow from melting off the roof. If left too long, water will start to flow under the shingles and leak into the home.

10. Keep Ice Melt Handy

While freezing isn’t a super common problem in our area, it can still happen. Better to be safe and keep salt or ice melt on hand to help clear the walkways.

Along with furnace repair in Los Gatos, CA here are a few other things you can do to winterize your home this year.