Winter preparation is in full swing. The trees have begun shedding their leaves, the animals gathering nuts and seeds, and the bird are escaping to warmer climates. It would seem that mother nature is preparing for the winter, but are you doing the same? Not to worry, we have you back. We have compiled a list of the four forgotten winter tasks to perform this holiday season.
1) Your Pipes:
We recommend you check to ensure your home is ready for this winter are the pipes. It is common sense that the lines inside your house are where water likes to hang out. Water lines are worrisome when the temperature begins to drop, and the water converts into ice. As it expands, the pipes can crack or even break. A burst pipe can be a disaster to clean up, but preventing this isn’t as hard as one might think. The best way to ensure your pipes are ready for winter is to treat them like small children. If the children are outside, they need to have a coat. The lines don’t have cute coats with hoods, but if they are out or exposed, they need superior insulation that you can buy and apply to ensure they don’t freeze.
2) Air Leaks:
Next, we recommend you go through your home searching for air leaks. Most people will check their windows and doors, but other points in the home can let air in or out. These include light switches, outlets, and even some light fixtures. These leaks tend to be smaller than ones found indoor or window seals, but these small leaks can add to a massive heat loss over time. It’s best to check these along with the windows and doors to ensure they steal correctly.
3) Carbon Monoxide:
During the holidays, many guests or family members come and go. While they are present, the oven and stove are usually on to help prepare the meals, the furnace is on fighting the cold, and the water heater is doing its best to keep up. This all adds up to the perfect invitation for a not so welcome guest, Carbon Monoxide. (CO) If you don’t already have a UL-listed CO detector, we recommend you pick one up to ensure your holiday parties have welcomed guests only.
4) Ceiling Fans:
The last of the forgotten souls are your good old ceiling fans. Many of you have them in your home and use them every day during the summer. However, many aren’t aware that they won’t benefit you during the winter unless you reverse the direction they spin. The way the fan works depends on the path it revolves. During the summer, it turns counter-clockwise to pull the hot air up. This isn’t as effective during the winter because you don’t want to heat the ceiling but rather the floor where you are. For this reason, we recommend you switch the fan, so it spins clockwise, so it pushes the hot air from the ceiling back down for you to enjoy.