{"id":6,"date":"2008-11-19T10:33:45","date_gmt":"2008-11-19T06:33:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ronfeltonshis.com\/blog\/?p=6"},"modified":"2008-11-19T10:33:45","modified_gmt":"2008-11-19T06:33:45","slug":"tips-for-winterizing-your-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/homeinspectionservices.co\/blog\/?p=6","title":{"rendered":"Tips for winterizing your home"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The fall Equinox is a good time of year to start thinking about preparing your home for winter, because as temperatures begin to dip, your home will require maintenance to keep it in tip-top shape through the winter.<\/p>\n<p>Autumn is invariably a prelude to falling winter temperatures, regardless of where you live. It might rain or snow or, as David Letterman says,<em> &#8220;Fall is my favorite season in Los Angeles, watching the birds change color and fall from the trees.&#8221;<\/em> Did you know there is only one state in the United States where the temperatures have never dipped below zero? Give up? It&#8217;s Hawaii.<\/p>\n<p>Here are ten tips to help you prepare your home for winter:<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><strong>1) Furnace Inspection<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Call an HVAC professional to inspect your furnace and clean ducts.<\/li>\n<li>Stock up on furnace filters and change them monthly.<\/li>\n<li>Consider switching out your thermostat for a programmable thermostat.<\/li>\n<li>If your home is heated by a hot-water radiator, bleed the valves by opening them slightly and when water appears, close them.<\/li>\n<li>Remove all flammable material from the area surrounding your furnace.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><strong>2) Get the Fireplace Ready<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cap or screen the top of the chimney to keep out rodents and birds.<\/li>\n<li>If the chimney hasn&#8217;t been cleaned for a while, call a chimney sweep to remove soot and creosote.<\/li>\n<li>Buy firewood or chop wood. Store it in a dry place away from the exterior of your home.<\/li>\n<li>Inspect the fireplace damper for proper opening and closing.<\/li>\n<li>Check the mortar between bricks and tuckpoint, if necessary.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><strong>3) Check the Exterior, Doors and Windows<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Inspect exterior for crevice cracks and exposed entry points around pipes; seal them.<\/li>\n<li>Use weatherstripping around doors to prevent cold air from entering the home and caulk windows.<\/li>\n<li>Replace cracked glass in windows and, if you end up replacing the entire window, prime and paint exposed wood.<\/li>\n<li>If your home has a basement, consider protecting its window wells by covering them with plastic shields.<\/li>\n<li>Switch out summer screens with glass replacements from storage. If you have storm windows, install them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><strong>4) Inspect Roof, Gutters &amp; Downspouts<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>If your weather temperature will fall below 32 degrees in the winter, adding extra insulation to the attic will prevent warm air from creeping to your roof and causing ice dams.<\/li>\n<li>Check flashing to ensure water cannot enter the home.<\/li>\n<li>Replace worn roof shingles or tiles.<\/li>\n<li>Clean out the gutters and use a hose to spray water down the downspouts to clear away debris.<\/li>\n<li>Consider installing leaf guards on the gutters or extensions on the downspouts to direct water away from the home.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><strong>5) Service Weather-Specific Equipment<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Drain gas from lawnmowers.<\/li>\n<li>Service or tune-up snow blowers.<\/li>\n<li>Replace worn rakes and snow shovels.<\/li>\n<li>Clean, dry and store summer gardening equipment.<\/li>\n<li>Sharpen ice choppers and buy bags of ice-melt \/ sand.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><strong>6) Check Foundations<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Rake away all debris and edible vegetation from the foundation.<\/li>\n<li>Seal up entry points to keep small animals from crawling under the house.<\/li>\n<li>Tuckpoint or seal foundation cracks. Mice can slip through space as thin as a dime.<\/li>\n<li>Inspect sill plates for dry rot or pest infestation.<\/li>\n<li>Secure crawlspace entrances.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><strong>7) Install Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Some cities require a smoke detector in every room.<\/li>\n<li>Buy extra smoke detector batteries and change them when daylight savings ends.<\/li>\n<li>Install a carbon monoxide detector near your furnace and \/ or water heater.<\/li>\n<li>Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they work.<\/li>\n<li>Buy a fire extinguisher or replace an extinguisher older than 10 years.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><strong>8) Prevent Plumbing Freezes<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Locate your water main in the event you need to shut it off in an emergency.<\/li>\n<li>Drain all garden hoses.<\/li>\n<li>Insulate exposed plumbing pipes.<\/li>\n<li>Drain air conditioner pipes and, if your AC has a water shut-off valve, turn it off.<\/li>\n<li>If you go on vacation, leave the heat on, set to at least 55 degrees.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><strong>9) Prepare Landscaping &amp; Outdoor Surfaces<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Trim trees if branches hang too close to the house or electrical wires.<\/li>\n<li>Ask a gardener when your trees should be pruned to prevent winter injury.<\/li>\n<li>Plant spring flower bulbs and lift bulbs that cannot winter over such as dahlias in areas where the ground freezes.<\/li>\n<li>Seal driveways, brick patios and wood decks.<\/li>\n<li>Don&#8217;t automatically remove dead vegetation from gardens as some provide attractive scenery in an otherwise dreary, snow-drenched yard.<\/li>\n<li>Move sensitive potted plants indoors or to a sheltered area.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><strong>10) Prepare an Emergency Kit<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Buy indoor candles and matches \/ lighter for use during a power shortage.<\/li>\n<li>Find the phone numbers for your utility companies and tape them near your phone or inside the phone book.<\/li>\n<li>Buy a battery back-up to protect your computer and sensitive electronic equipment.<\/li>\n<li>Store extra bottled water and non-perishable food supplies (including pet food, if you have a pet), blankets and a first-aid kit in a dry and easy-to-access location.<\/li>\n<li>Prepare an evacuation plan in the event of an emergency.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The fall Equinox is a good time of year to start thinking about preparing your home for winter, because as temperatures begin to dip, your home will require maintenance to keep it in tip-top shape through the winter. Autumn is &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/homeinspectionservices.co\/blog\/?p=6\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-buyersblog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/homeinspectionservices.co\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/homeinspectionservices.co\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/homeinspectionservices.co\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/homeinspectionservices.co\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/homeinspectionservices.co\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/homeinspectionservices.co\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/homeinspectionservices.co\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/homeinspectionservices.co\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/homeinspectionservices.co\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}