Don’t let freezing weather in winter spoil the beautiful season. Burst pipes, chimney fires, and HVAC failures can occur during cold snaps and winter storms, which can often result in significant damage and corresponding repair costs.
While this is a year-round problem, it’s even more important to prepare your home before a big snowstorm. With temperatures dropping across the United States and heavy snowfall expected across much of the country, now is the perfect time to prepare your home to withstand all kinds of winter conditions.
To help you prepare your home or apartment, I consulted TJ Laury, HVAC expert and president of Ben’s ProServfor essential winter home safety tips and a comprehensive guide to help you inspect and winterize any home.
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1. Winterize your HVAC system
HVAC in winter? Even if you don’t use it during the colder months, it’s essential to make sure maintenance is up to date.
Barring extreme circumstances, most winter-related problems generally do not appear without warning.
We tend to think of HVAC systems primarily as the machines we use to control indoor air conditioning, such as heaters and air conditioners. However, your HVAC system also requires vents, doors, windows, and insulation to function properly.
Unfamiliar sights, sounds, and smells in your HVAC equipment are the clearest signs that maintenance is needed. For example, Laury says clicking and noises can lead to more serious problems with your system.
If your heating system doesn’t exhibit any of the signs above, Laury suggests paying attention to drafts and uneven heating in your home. These often indicate that your system is not working efficiently. Although you can spot drafts without thermal cameraThis is a useful tool for finding places where cold air is entering your home.
Winter HVAC Tasks for Everyone (Including Renters):
Replacing your furnace filter every month is essential for efficient heating.
For homeowners and homeowners:
- Replace your furnace filter before turning on the oven for the season.
- Clean fireplaces, chimneys, flues and wood stoves before use.
- While you can seal unused fireplaces and chimneys for better heat retention, consider unsealing them if you change your mind in the middle of winter.
- Re-caulk, repair or replace weather stripping around doors and windows as needed.
- Cover your air conditioner.
- Check attic insulation and replace old exterior doors.
2. Winterize your pipes and plumbing
Frozen pipes can crack, leak, or even burst. Be sure to follow the steps below to avoid dangerous mold or flooding.
Frozen pipes can burst, leading to costly flooding and dangerous mold.
Visibly cracked or leaking pipes may seem obvious, but some leaks are so small that you can’t see them at a glance. In these cases, it is essential to look for mineral buildup and corrosion on exposed pipes – these sometimes suggest a more minor leak.
Sweaty pipes – those with condensation on the outside – are another thing to watch out for. This could be a sign of excessive humidity in your home, providing an ideal breeding ground for mold.
Things to do in winter for everyone (including renters):
- Remove and drain garden hoses.
- Facility leak detectors in high-risk areas.
For homeowners and homeowners:
3. Winterize your electrical cords and wiring
There are a few steps you can take to prepare all of your electrical cords (yes, even the ones indoors) for the colder months.
Checking surge protectors is as simple as pressing the “test” button to see if the power is out.
Be aware of two common problems with your home’s electrical system: damaged wiring and overloaded outlets. As with other areas of your home, it’s a good idea to prevent fire hazards all year round.
While ripping out drywall is a step too far to find damaged wiring, it’s still worth checking exposed wiring, including cords, power strips, extension cords, and string lights. In addition to visible nicks and missing prongs, look for cords that lose power when bent at a specific angle. This often means a broken wire inside.
Radiators help warm colder rooms, but you should keep them out of danger zones.
Overloaded outlets pose a fire hazard, especially when used with radiators. Remember that heaters and extension cords (and power strips) can’t hearso plan to keep an open plug on the wall outlet where you will plug a heater. You may need to move other devices to a different outlet or power strip. Likewise, keep clutter away from your radiators.
Beyond radiator safetyYou should also avoid daisy-chaining surge protectors and extension cords, for example by plugging additional power strips into a central power strip. This is not only a fire hazard, but also a tripping hazard. It’s better to invest in one large power strip that has the outlets and protection you need rather than trying to make your own from a collection of cheaper, smaller power strips.
Winter electrical tasks for everyone (including tenants):
- Clear the surroundings of the radiator and ensure direct access to a dedicated wall outlet.
- Use electrical tape to repair minor damage to the cord, as long as the interior insulation is intact.
- Use appropriately sized power strips and surge protectors.
- Replace worn cords and surge protectors.
- Check lights, fuses and string light wires.
For homeowners and homeowners:
- Replace worn and loose wall outlets.
- Inspect exterior electrical outlets to ensure they have sufficient seals.
- Trim trees near your house and power lines.
Other Winterizing Tasks
Functional fire safety equipment, such as fire extinguishers and smoke detectors, are essential to any winter checklist.
Some winter safety tips don’t fit neatly into the HVAC, plumbing, or electrical categories, but are important considerations for keeping your home free of potential hazards.
Other pre-winter essentials for everyone (including renters):
For homeowners and homeowners:
4. Plan for emergencies with a bug out bag
Don’t already have an emergency kit? It’s probably worth keeping one prepared, even if it only has the basics.
Every winter safety strategy should also take into account possible emergencies. The best way to achieve this is to assemble a escape proof bag for a power outage at home, but you can also use it as car emergency kit.
Laury suggests keeping a portable propane heater and storing it outside the house whenever possible. You may need to open windows for good ventilation to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning, even if this compromises heating efficiency.
It is also possible to set up temporary emergency heaters — make sure to place heat sources near flammable objects and surfaces. Having a space heater isn’t just about comfort: the heat can help delay pipes from freezing during a winter storm.
Laury advises packing a “bag full of practical items: flashlights, extra batteries, blankets, bottled water, and three days of nonperishable food for each person. Also keep a charged power bank on hand in case you need to charge important items, like a phone, in an emergency. » Likewise, you could invest in a portable generator Or portable power station.
Your winter preparedness checklist and emergency kit are essential to staying safe in cold weather, even if the power goes out.
When to Get a Professional Inspection
An appointment with an HVAC technician is a reliable way to prepare your home for the winter season.
Laury recommends that most homeowners schedule a seasonal maintenance check at least once a year. He notes that “professionals can often detect small problems before they become a larger problem and save the homeowner from having to spend a lot of money on a more serious problem.”
Even if you don’t opt for a full maintenance package, professionals are usually the best option for chimney cleaning. Although some HVAC services offer chimney cleaning and inspection, you may need to find a chimney cleaner instead. You can also get a home energy audit from most utility companies to find ways to maximize heating efficiency in winter.
Make sure your heat pumps, ducts and other HVAC airways are clear of debris before hot substances start circulating.
If you are a tenant, the responsibility for inspecting and maintaining your home generally falls on the landlord, although they sometimes delegate simpler tasks to tenants. Never schedule exterior inspections or maintenance without permission from your landlord. (There may already be a maintenance team on site.) For example, my property manager provides new furnace filterssends winter safety tips and has a maintenance request form.
Either way, everyone can save a little money by following three DIY steps: inspection, seasonal maintenance, and emergency preparedness. Start by scheduling time to check your home for HVAC, plumbing, electrical and structural warning signs.
