Winter is here! Is your home winter ready? If not, you still have some time to winterize your home. Wondering why you should protect your house from the harsh Canadian winter? Preparing your house for winter is actually simple and very inexpensive. Plus, it will keep your home well-maintained, prolong its lifespan, and potentially save you thousands of dollars.
Here’s how to prepare your house for winter
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1. Disconnect your hose and use a faucet cover
Faucet covers provide insulation which prevents the cold from entering your faucet. If the cold enters your pipes, it can freeze the water and cause it to expand and break your pipes. This is why faucet covers are necessary. They are also very cheap and can save you thousands of dollars.
2. Clear debris from your eavestroughs.
Remove leaves and twigs from your eaves and roof. Accumulated debris can block runoff causing water to freeze which can seriously damage your roof (and your bank account).
Icicles forming on your roof is a telltale sign that your eaves may have formed ice dams. Ice dams can also cause water to seep inside your home and wreak havoc.
Note that even though home insurance in Ontario may cover snow damage, losses from negligence are not usually covered.
3. Replace your furnace’s filters.
A dirty filter reduces the efficiency of your furnace resulting in increased heating bills of up to 15%. Plus, we think you should know that it only takes 5 to 10 minutes to replace your furnace’s filter and doesn’t cost much. Keep in mind that a dirty filter also shortens your furnace’s lifespan.
4. Flush out your water heater
Drain out your water heater to remove lime and sediments. These particles can accumulate and reduce the efficiency of your water heater. Lower efficiency will then result in increased hydro bills.
Maintaining your water heater by regularly flushing it out will also extend its lifespan.
5. Replace the batteries of your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors.
Since house fires are more common in winter than any other season, we have to be extra careful this time of year. So change the batteries in your CO and smoke detectors once a year, ideally before winter. That’s a simple and easy way you can help prevent a fire.
It’s equally important to replace your CO and smoke detector, if they break, as soon as you can. Don’t wait until it’s too late.
6. Block any air gaps
Notice any drafts entering your windows or doors in winter? Cold drafts entering your home can drive up your heating bill because your heater has to work double time to keep the temperature up.
To prevent this, add insulation to windows and doors that have air gaps by installing weather stripping material. You can even install it yourself and it won’t cost you much.
7. Set your ceiling fan to turn clockwise
Change the direction of your ceiling fan to clockwise. Doing so will keep the warm air circulating around the room.
Don’t forget to switch it back in summer because running it counter clockwise will keep your room cooler.
8. Review your coverages with your broker.
Once your home is winter ready, you can also take this time to make sure that you are adequately protected in the event of a loss. Contact your PrimeService broker to review your existing coverages.
Did you know that changing the direction of your ceiling fan clockwise circulates warm air around the room? Discover some ways to protect your home in winter in this blog post.
Did you know that changing the direction of your ceiling fan clockwise circulates warm air around the room? Discover some ways to protect your home in winter in this blog post.
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As you can see, preparing your house for winter can save you money, potentially even a fortune, and extend the lifespan of your home.
Do you have a cottage that you have to winterize? Keep your cottage safe from Ontario’s weather and wildlife. Find out how to winterize and close your cottage properly for winter. If you’re working remotely, you can even convert your cottage into an all season home and stay in for the winter or all year round.
Share these tips on Facebook to help your neighbours and friends protect their homes, too.