Top 5 Tips for Winterizing Your Home

The following are 5 great tips for winterizing your home this winter season.

Weather stripping and caulking.

To reduce any air leaks, use weather stripping and caulking. It will help ensure that warm air remains inside your home when the temperature begins to drop outside. Caulk will give you a seal that is flexible around joints or cracks. It can be used around door frames, windows, pipes, and more.

You should use weather stripping around any joints that are movable like doors and windows. By plugging up any air leaks, you should be able to reduce the heating and cooling costs in your home by 30 percent.

Be sure to service the furnace.

Take time to make sure your furnace is in working order before winter begins. You will be able to get an appointment easier before the weather gets colder. If it is in working order, you should still have your furnace serviced one a year. Be sure to replace the air filter on your furnace approximately every three months. Change them on time because a dirty filter can make your furnace work harder than it should.

Check your air ducts.

As recommended by ENERGY STAR and the U.S. Department of Energy, you should check the rate of leaking in your ducts. If there is over 20 percent of air leaking out of the system you should hire a professional to seal the ducts. The efficiency of the HVAC system can be improved by approximately 20 percent when the ducts are insulated and sealed properly.

Be sure to insulate.

When the weather gets colder outside, you put on a coat and a sweater. The same idea applies for your home. When you add insulation to the walls in your basements, attics, and other areas you will keep your home warmer and your energy bills lower. Some of the different types of insulation include spray foam, fiberglass, and cellulose. To get an idea of what you will need, most attics require approximately 14 inches of insulation to ensure the highest level of efficiency.

Take time to protect the pipes.

You do not want the pipes to burst or freeze during the long winter nights. To avoid this happening, turn off any outdoor faucets and drain and put your hoses in storage. For further protection, be sure to wrap foam tape or foam pipe insulation around your pipes to avoid freezing.

Winter is nearly here! To get the best advice on winterizing your New Port Richey home, call Roman Plumbing at (727) 858-3412 today.