How to Winterize Your Home - A Guide by Jon Yankasky
How to Winterize Your Home - A Guide by Jon
Yankasky
Polar vortexes or other extreme cold weather events can cause your pipes
to freeze and burst, potentially causing massive amounts of damage to the
plumbing in your home and its structure. Protecting both will help safeguard
against such costly losses.
Winterizing your home can be tedious, but it is best accomplished before
temperatures decline. Here are a few key steps to help prepare your home for
winter's arrival.
1. Insulate Your Attic
Your attic insulation should be treated as the top priority. Insulating
can keep your home warmer in winter and cooler in summer, saving energy bills
while prolonging roof lifespan.
Jon Yankasky mentions that installing attic insulation can be
accomplished easily if your attic remains unfinished or by professional service
providers for completed attics. Modern insulation options have long since
evolved beyond pink fiberglass batts seen as children - including cellulose
insulation, loose-fill fiberglass insulation, and spray foam options - giving
homeowners many choices for optimal attic insulation performance.
If your attic features an access hatch, ladder, or fold-back door,
insulating it is key for maintaining consistent temperature. Equally insulating
your attic with no low spots is also vital; commercially available draft guards
may help seal gaps around doors and windows even more efficiently - making this
project an easy DIY option for any homeowner!
2. Insulate Your Walls
Insulating walls is an affordable and efficient way to reduce energy
bills and make your home more comfortable. Various materials and methods are
suitable for various homes, including foam and fiberglass insulation.
Insulation of attic hatches, foundations, and air ducts exposed to cold
winter weather is also essential for heat conservation; weatherstripping or a
styrofoam pipe cover is a simple solution that will stop heat loss in these
vulnerable spots.
According to Jon Yankasky, winterizing outdoor pipes and faucets is
essential to protecting water damage. Without proper winterization measures,
outdoor plumbing could freeze up and burst when temperatures dip; to protect it
against this damage, wrap the plumbing with insulated sleeves for extra
insulation.
3. Insulate Your Doors
Insulating doors and windows are integral to winterizing, as heat loss
through them is substantial. Not only will this save energy costs, but it will
also help ensure cold drafts stay at bay while warming air remains inside your
home.
As per Jon Yankasky, before beginning to renovate a door, assess its
insulation. Check for drafts by touching or holding up a candle against its
frame to detect air or light leakage; this will reveal areas requiring
attention.
To do this, use an insulation kit of various materials or fill any holes
with expanding foam. Be sure to select an appropriate type for your door's
weather stripping and replace it as soon as possible; add styrofoam faucet
covers, as this step is especially vital when dealing with outdoor hoses or
faucets.
4. Insulate Your Windows
Insulating windows on a budget can easily be achieved using various
low-cost techniques such as caulking, hanging insulating curtains, and
installing window film.
Ensure the seals around your doors are undamaged by regularly inspecting
them for wear or cracks and using weatherstripping door draft stoppers to block
cold air from coming in and warm air from escaping.
As part of your home winterization efforts, drain all the water from
your pipes before temperatures fall to prevent freezing and bursting, which can
be very expensive to repair. To do this effectively, locate your main water
shutoff valve - usually in your garage or basement.
5. Insulate Your Roof
Insulating your roof is an efficient way to save on energy costs and
prevent water leakage caused by melting snow and ice. When installing
insulation boards, consult a professional. Hence, they use tantalized timber
battens with a width of 50mm or wider to avoid blocking airflow within your
roof and potentially blocking air passageways.
Suppose you are doing winterization work or hiring a professional. In
that case, the optimal time and place to carry it out is in early fall before
temperatures begin dropping, as highlighted by Jon Yankasky. Doing this gives
you more time and reduces the risk of making mistakes when handling potentially
hazardous materials; for instance, if draining outdoor pipes and faucets,
consider purchasing an insulating faucet cover to seal off any remaining water
when temperatures decrease.
6. Insulate Your Gutters
Freezing temperatures don't need a polar vortex or state-wide power
outages to cause damage to homes; with proper winterization practices in place,
however, homeowners can protect their investments against costly cold weather
damage while saving on heating bills.
Gutters play an essential part in winterizing homes by diverting water
away from them, but if they become clogged with leaves and debris, they cannot
fulfill this duty effectively.
As part of your winterizing home checklist, don't forget to clean out
your gutters to prevent ice dams and other issues from occurring. In addition,
disconnect hoses and drain outdoor faucets before winter sets in. Also,
purchase and install styrofoam or insulated faucet covers that protect them
from cold air and water, such as those made by Santoprene, which are relatively
affordable yet easy to install - the ideal time is before cold temperatures
arrive in fall.
7. Install a Water Heater
Even mild winter temperatures can bring freezing temperatures that cause
expensive damage, as suggested by Jon Yankasky. You can prevent such costly
damage by taking simple measures to protect your home against the cold weather.
Additionally, insulate any plumbing running through exterior walls to
protect its pipes from freezing and bursting. This will keep them functioning
at their full potential for years to come.
Also, remove any tree branches that could fall onto your house during a
winter storm, as if they are too close, they could cause serious damage.
Finally, insulate outdoor drains so they won't become blocked with snow or ice
clogs - an inexpensive and simple task that could save your home from winter
weather damage.
8. Install a Furnace
Winterizing your home provides vital protection from the frigid
temperatures and snowfall that threaten its integrity and wreak havoc with
property and structures. From insulation installation to repair of plumbing
pipes, winterizing your home ensures it will stand up against whatever the
season throws its way.
As part of winterizing your home, one of the key steps is ensuring all
pipes are appropriately insulated to help prevent freezing in cold temperatures
and can even reduce heating costs. Another essential step involves sealing any
cracks or gaps around your house, such as caulking doors and windows as well as
replacing improper wall outlets and vents; installing energy-saving windows
such as those ENERGY STAR certified could further boost energy efficiency -
these steps should all be accomplished before winter's arrival. These tasks
should ideally be performed before November's cold front arrival.
9. Install a Fireplace
Frozen pipes don't require extreme conditions to damage and increase
heating bills - all it needs is the normal winter to do its damage if your home
hasn't been winterized properly.
Home winterization refers to taking proactive measures against low
temperatures and snow to decrease the risks of ice dams, frozen pipes, or other
forms of damage that require costly repairs. These precautions may help lower
risks associated with ice dams, frostbite, or similar issues to protect homes
against frigid conditions and keep costs down for repairs, as mentioned by Jon
Yankasky.
Winterizing your home should take place early, in the fall. Otherwise,
many important steps may become difficult or impossible with frozen fingers.
10. Install a Smart Home
Device
Smart home devices allow you to control lights, thermostats, and more
seamlessly from an app or interface. These devices are also built to withstand
cold weather conditions, so they'll still work even when snow or below-freezing
temperatures are in play!
Winterizing your home is an effective way to guard against burst pipes
and other cold weather damage, often most effectively performed in the fall
before it turns cold. A professional winterization company can complete this
service efficiently and swiftly. A snowbird who leaves their property
unoccupied during winter or a home uninhabited for extended periods will need
proper winterization in place to protect from theft, water damage, heating system
breakdown, and theft while they're gone; theft of plumbing assets, as well as
heating system malfunction, can occur; it is much cheaper than paying repairs
after burst pipes burst! A winterization professional can perform this service
quickly and efficiently - saving time and money!
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