Winterize Your Home

Is your home ready for freezing temperatures? Here's our #AskAHomeInspector guide to winterizing your home.

Winterize Your Home – From the Outside In

Garden, Grounds, Sprinkler System

• Garden & Lawn – now is the time to trim it back and keep it clean. Don’t let leaves accumulate and stay for long periods. Put a nutrient winterizer on your lawn to keep your grass healthy through the winter

• Sprinkler system – the main thing is to remove the water from the system before a freeze. 3 ways: the manual drain valve method, the automatic drain valve method or the compressed air blow-out method.

• Patio furniture - bring any non-weatherproof materials in for storage.

• Roof Area

• Remove fall leaves

• Clean gutters

• Trim back trees from roof

• Trim back branches from power lines

• Seal soffits & eaves

• Check GFCI’s in soffits

• Cover whirly bird type vents

• Attic Area

• Service your heater, esp gas

• Insulate water heater (careful with gas)

• Cover pipes that run through non-heated areas

• Chimney

• Call a chimney sweep

• Keep damper closed when not in use

• Walls

• Consider having an energy audit to see where you are losing heat.

• Fix insulation gaps

• Seal windows & doors

• Exterior faucets

• Seal plumbing penetration points

• Consider removing solar screens on windows. Uncover south facing windows

• Crawl space vent covers

Inside

• Check seals on interior windows & doors

• Clear all vents

• Change filters

• Make sure cold air return vents are clear

• Turn ceiling fans to clockwise, slow speed to encourage to help circulate warm air.

• Insulate interior pipes - any pipes that are in non-conditioned air (crawlspace, under cabinets, attic, garage)

#seasonalhomemaintenance #prepareyourhomeforafreeze #winterize