Winterizing Your Home Before the Holidays

We are getting closer to the end of what has been an extremely crazy year! Normally when we think of the holidays, we think of big family gatherings and cozying up by the fireplace with a nice glass of red wine but Holidays this year may look a little different. Whether you plan to keep your circle small over the Holiday Season or plan to get away to a nice secluded cabin, now is the time to winterize your home so you can be safe and avoid costly repairs.

Easy Ways To Winterize Your Home

1. Make sure your Fall Maintenance was completed on your HVAC system. We recommend completing maintenance on your HVAC system at least once in the fall and once in the Spring. Completing your Fall Maintenance on your furnace guarantees that any lurking issues can be handled before it breaks down from being overrun on a dangerously chilly day.
2. Reverse Your Ceiling Fans. You can use your ceilings fans to help keep your home warm throughout the winter by reversing the direction of the fan. In the winter your ceiling fans should be rotating clockwise. When your fan blades rotate clockwise this pushes the warm air down and recirculates it throughout the room.
3. Change Your Furnace Filter More Often. Throughout the winter your furnace is used more often and this means your filter will need to be changed more often. You can filter change reminders ins your SMART THERMOSTAT. Check your filter every 30 days and replace it as needed.
4. Check Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors. Winter is peak season for home fires and carbon monoxide poisoning. With the increase of Holiday cooking and the use of your furnace and roaring fires in the fireplace it is important to make sure that all your detectors are working properly. If you would like us to change your batteries for you, just ask one of our technicians when they are completing your maintenance.
5. Inspect and clean your chimney. Hire someone to complete a chimney inspection and cleaning. Having your chimney inspected and cleaned can determine it there is buildup that needs to be cleared before your first fire.
6. Check your weather strips- Check all your weather stripping and see if its old and worn, it may need to be replaced. You can also add weather striping to the bottom of drafty doors and windows.
7. Paint Caulk and seal exterior wood. Wood doors and window trim can rot if it is not sealed and protected from the elements. It's a good idea to seal and paint all exterior wood trim on your to prevent rotting.
8. Clean your gutters. If your gutters are full of debris water can back up against the house and damage roofing, siding and wood trim -- plus cause leaks and ice dams.
9. Turn Off Exterior Faucets. Undrained water in pipes can freeze, which will cause pipes to burst as the ice expands. Start by disconnecting all garden hoses and draining the water that remains in faucets. If you don’t have frost-proof faucets (homes more than ten to 15 years old typically do not), turn off the shut-off valve inside your home. MGP Mechanical can install frost free spigots for you.
10. Flush your hot water heater.  Call us to complete a hot water heater flush to remove sediment, and check the pressure relief valve to make sure it’s in proper working order.You don't want to run out of hot water on a cold winter day!
11. Cover Hose Bibs. You can purchase insulated covers for your hose bibs for about $3.
    

If you need help completing maintenance for your HVAC system or frost free hose bibs, we are here to help. Call us today to sign up for our worry free maintenance plan. We hope you have a safe and happy holiday season!