As old man winter tightens his frosty grip across the land and the fall weather evaporates to a ruddy memory, that is our cue to winterize our homes and equipment in order to stay warm and dry!  Below are a few helpful tips on the most important things to consider as the temperatures drop.

PLUMBING

Although some might think heating should be at the top of the list, we feel that you need to have your pipes squared away first because if the heat goes out before you protect your plumbing, you’ll be in for a wet holiday season!  What happens if your pipes are not able to stay above freezing temperatures is the water expands inside the pipe and the pipe will break.  When the ice in the pipe melts, you’re left with a waterfall and definitely won’t be warm and dry! To minimize this you must ensure your basement areas where plumbing is mostly hidden are also warmed.  It doesn’t need to be the same temperature as the living quarters, but it is recommended to keep the temperature above 50 degrees in those areas to avoid any possibility of an issue.  It is also important to disconnect your hoses from the faucets outside.  This will prevent water freezing in there and causing issues in the spring with your hose bibb.

HEATING

It would be prudent to get your heating system checked, serviced or cleaned during the fall months in order to stay warm and dry.  This will give you peace of mind knowing your system has been checked and failures during the winter months have been minimized.  If you are in a situation where you need emergency HVAC techs to come assess and repair your heating system, it could be longer than you hoped until they can get on site.  Even then, if something needs to be replaced you will incur high expenses and the time waiting for the new unit may prove to be too overwhelming.  If you have to leave your house to wait, shut the water main valve off and drain all the water lines in the house to prevent the pipes freezing and leaking, while you are warm and dry elsewhere.

CRITTERS

As the weather gets cold, our four legged and winged outdoor friends will be looking to stay warm and dry too.  It is important before it gets cold to give a check around your house for any holes or gaps that any critters or insects could crawl into.  This will ensure that you won’t have to deal with a groundhog on Christmas morning and it will also seal up some vulnerable areas; if a rodent can get in, so can the cold air.  So this would also serve to seal up the house and keep the heat on the inside!  We further recommend to cover any hose bibbs to prevent something crawling in there and creating a headache come spring when you want to water those flowers and plants!

FLOWERS AND PLANTS

Speaking of our home vegetation; it is highly important to think about these living creatures as the cold approaches.  It is suggested to have a plan in place to bring plants and flowers inside for the winter.  A designated area in the home where they can benefit from some sunlight through a window, your watering schedule and bask in the glory of all the holiday scents and sounds!