While you’ll likely look forward to snowball fights and making snow angels in winter, you should also make sure to keep your home safe before cold weather comes. Keeping the home safe during winter requires a lot of preparation, especially during a pandemic. So you should start as early as possible to allow you to cover everything.
As you prepare for the cold season, you should also avoid some mistakes when preparing the home. These mistakes will have a significant effect on the health and safety of members of the household. Here are some mistakes you should avoid when you prepare your home for winter.
Overlooking the Importance of Roof Inspection
The roof is the first thing you should check before winter comes. You should look for leaks or signs of damage that will worsen when the cold weather arrives. Make sure to patch up holes and repair any damage that you find on the roof.
You should not wait for the temperature to go down before you start working on these issues. It will be difficult to make repairs when the snow starts to fall on the roof. Aside from the roof, you should also check the chimney if your house has one.
Hiring a chimney sweep also allows you to make sure the chimney is clean. While cleaning the chimney in summer is better, you should not overlook cleaning it and fixing any damage before winter.
Ignoring the Gutter and Downspout
The gutter and downspout are also two areas you should not ignore when preparing your home for winter. Gutters and downspouts are designed to keep water away from the house to protect it from getting damaged.
You should make sure to remove dry leaves and other debris in these places. Dry leaves and other debris will clog the gutters and cause water to overflow. In this situation, the water will creep under the roof and reach the foundation of the house.
Clogged gutters will also cause the formation of ice dams when winter comes. Ice dams will damage the gutters and loosen roof shingles. So, it’s important to clean the gutter and downspout to prevent these issues when the temperature starts dropping.
Putting Too Much Fertilizer on the Lawn
While fertilizing the lawn is a good idea since it gives the grass a source of nutrients during winter. With this, the lawn will look great once spring arrives. But you should also make sure not to put too much fertilizer on the lawn.
Overfertilizing the lawn will cause a buildup of mineral salt in the soil, which causes a drying effect. This will cause the grass to turn brown or yellow. While this is will not kill the grass, you will not know if the lawn will recover from this fertilizer burn.
If you have no idea about the amount of fertilizer to use on the lawn, you should work with a company offering lawn care services. Aside from the skills and knowledge, these companies also have the necessary equipment to ensure your lawn is ready for the cold season.
Overlooking an Energy Audit
When you have no idea about your home’s energy consumption, you will end up with a higher utility bill during winter. So, you need to conduct an energy audit in your home to give you an idea about improving energy efficiency and reducing utility expenses.
While you can conduct an energy audit on your own, getting a professional to do it for you ensures the audit covers everything. These professionals have the tools and experience to conduct a comprehensive audit to allow you to save on your utility expenses.
You should also check if your local government partnered with your local utility. When the government has an agreement with the local utility, the utility will provide free energy audits for homeowners. You should take advantage of this free energy audit by scheduling it before winter comes.
Inadequate Preparation of Equipment
A lot of tools and equipment will deteriorate when they are exposed to cold weather. Due to this, you should make sure to prepare them for the cold temperatures of the season. You should check your garage or shed for any tool or equipment that you should winterize.
You should also check the plumbing system of the house and insulate them to prevent water from freezing. If you have outdoor pipes, you should shut them off before winter and drain all the water to protect them from damage. You should also remove any hoses attached to these pipes and store them in the garage or shed.
Avoiding mistakes when preparing the house for winter allows homeowners to save money from fixing any damage during the cold season.
