Keep Your Home Safe & Warm With These 7 Winterization Tips
From your pipes to your windows to your heating system, your home works hard during the winter. That’s why it’s important to make sure your home is operating like it should when the snow piles up or the temperature drops below zero.
At KRM Custom Homes, we do more than just build homes year-round. We’re here to continue the relationship after the build by helping you enjoy your home and protect your investment long-term. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of our seven top tips to winterize your home and keep it cozy this winter.
1. Prevent Frozen Pipes
Frozen pipes can block the flow of water in your home and cause pipes to burst. The pipes that are in the most danger of freezing are those that are not insulated and located in spots like outdoor-facing walls, unheated basements, or crawl spaces, where they are exposed to the elements.
Modern homes are generally built with better precautions against frozen pipes than older ones. This includes pipes installed on interior walls or covered with proper insulation. However, no matter the age of your home, frozen pipes are possible.
There are several ways you can prevent them:
- Insulate pipes that are on outdoor-facing walls, basements, or crawl spaces.
- In extremely cold temperatures, keep a slow trickle of water running from your faucet.
- Open cabinet doors under your sink, if they are located near exterior walls.
- If you leave your home for an extended period of time, keep an indoor temperature of at least 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Keep Your Heating System Well Maintained
Taking care of your heating system year-round is the key to making sure it works when you need it most. Every fall, as part of your regular fall home maintenance, we recommend getting your heating system inspected by a trusted expert. It’s also important to change your furnace filter every three months. This helps your furnace run efficiently while also keeping the superior indoor air quality your home is designed for.
3. Seal Drafts To Improve Comfort & Reduce Heating Bills
A drafty home is uncomfortable to live in and expensive to heat. Checking for drafts and sealing them will keep your home cozy and your heating bills in check.
Drafts are most common where two sections or materials in your home meet, such as a wall and a window or a switch from wood to masonry. There are multiple ways to check for drafts. The most comprehensive way is to hire a contractor to conduct a full test of the home’s airtightness.
You can also do your own manual checks for a quicker and more surface-level assessment. Here are some ways to do it:
- Look at the condition of the caulking on gaps to be sure it’s in good condition.
- Check for any noticeable cracks.
- To pinpoint a draft, try lighting a candle and passing it near the wall. Look for the spot that makes the flame flicker.
Once you locate a draft, you can seal it with caulking or weather stripping.
4. Keep Walkways & Driveways Safe
Prevent dangerous slips and falls by keeping your walkway and driveway clear of snow and ice in the winter. Shoveling and clearing ice when a winter storm occurs is important, but it’s also important to continue to watch out for ice in the days following. New ice patches can form as snow melts during the day and refreezes overnight.
It’s also important to be careful about using ice melt. Ice melt can cause damage to concrete, so we recommend being cautious with the kind you use and how often you use it.
A note about clearing snow: Only do it yourself if you are physically healthy enough. If you’re unable to remove snow on your own and need financial assistance to hire professional help, United Way’s 211 hotline can help you connect with local resources in the Des Moines area.
5. Check Gutters for Ice Dams
Ice dams are sections of ice that form on your roof’s edge when rooftop snow melts during the day and refreezes overnight. Ice dams block remaining ice and snow from draining off of your roof as it melts, which can cause damage to your roof over time due to the buildup of moisture.
One of the best ways to prevent ice dams is proper attic ventilation and heating, which we ensure in our custom homes. However, blocked gutters could also cause issues. Keeping your gutters clean of debris will help you prevent ice dams from forming. You can also clear snow from parts of your roof using “roof rakes” to prevent a buildup.
6. Circulate Air Properly
Air circulation in the winter is key to keeping your home heated evenly and preventing dry, stagnant air.
A few ways to do this include:
- Changing the ceiling fan direction to clockwise. Since heat naturally rises, this fan motion will help pull cool air up and circulate the warm air more evenly.
- Setting your furnace fan to the “on” setting
- Raising and opening your blinds and/or drapes to allow warm air to hit the window and reduce condensation
7. Know When To Call a Professional
Proper winter home maintenance can help you avoid many issues. However, there are times when DIY maintenance can do more harm than good. Leaving major fixes up to the pros is the best way to maintain your home’s value.
Large issues with your roof, walls, foundation, or other elements of your home could also fall under your warranty, so it’s best to make sure you don’t void that warranty by trying to fix it yourself.
Stay Safe This Winter — and Beyond
Following these tips will help you stay warm when hazardous weather strikes this winter. Wondering how to maintain your home in other seasons? Check out our other home maintenance checklists here:
If you’re ready to build a new home that’s designed for comfort year-round, contact KRM Custom Homes today for a free consultation.
Maintenance Printout
We made it easy for you to stay on top of your home maintenance. Everything you need all in one place!
