Seasonal changes can have an impact on your home. Even in sunny Southern California, knowing how to properly prepare your home for winter is important. Things like temperature dips, cold rain, and occasional early morning frosts can cause damage to homes that are not prepared properly. At ReBLDing, we have many helpful tools available to assist you in your winter preparation process. It’s a lot easier to get ready now when it’s nice outside, than later on down the road. Let’s take a look at a few things you can do to get your home ready for those chilly days and long nights.
Inspect Your Furnace
One of the first things that you’ll want to do is inspect your furnace. You can test your furnace by turning your heat up to 80 degrees and seeing if warm air begins to blow. If not, you may have a problem.
Clear Vents
You will also want to make sure that everything is cleared away from your heating vents. When you’ve been leaving them dormant, things may be piled up on top of your vents or positioned either accidentally or on purpose to block them. This is a no go, as blocked vents are less effective and may become a fire hazard.
Seal Doors and Windows
After you have your heating systems taken care of, you’ll want to start sealing your doors and windows. Transition areas where any glass meets wood, wood meets brick, and so on, can be prone to leakage or drafts. This can increase your heating bill or even increase the possibility of water damage. Taking some time to prevent this may save you quite a bit of aggravation in the long run. You can use self-expanding caulk, sealing strips, or weatherproofing tape. Large gaps can be fixed by a local professional that are easily accessible through ReBLDing.
Prep the Fireplace
If you have a fireplace, you’ll want to have it ready for cold winter nights. It’s a lot easier to do this now when the weather is still nice, as opposed to in the middle of a cold and rainy evening when you attempt to light a cozy fire only to find out nothing is working properly. Start with the chimney. In the warmer months, debris like bird nests and fallen leaves can cause blockages. You’ll also want to clear soot buildup from burning fireplaces. For gas fireplaces, have connectors inspected if you suspect potential problems. Hiring a service person may save you time and aggravation with certain fireplaces and chimneys and ReBLDing is the perfect place to find the right person for the job.
Pools and Hot Tubs
In Southern California, pools and hot tubs can usually be utilized year-round. If you decide to drain your pool, remove all service equipment, clear filters, and follow instructions in your user manual so that when it comes time to use your pool again, everything will operate correctly. If you have a pool cover, inspect it for rips, tears, and other signs of damage.
Your Roof and Rain Gutters
Having someone inspect your roof may be wise. Prevention is much easier than responding to problems in this case. Rain gutters should also be cleaned out and prepared. For more preventative tips, check out our previous blog on Protecting Your Home’s Long-Term Value with These Cleaning Habits for more.
ReBLDing is Here to Help
Hiring contractor services is the best move to get quality work. ReBLDing has a multitude of experienced industry and service professionals on hand to help get your home properly winterized. All of our contractors have extensive profiles that you can review. After hiring contractor services, ReBLDing allows you to securely track communications, payments, progress, and more. We can help you with your entire winter preparation process from start to finish.