Winter Preparation us essential each and every year. Before you get busy taking out your thermal wear, unearthing your skis and other snow sporting equipment from the garage, and stocking up on hot cocoa, it’s best to make sure that your home is ready for the upcoming winter months first.
“Ensuring that the house is able to regulate the proper indoor temperature once the colder months roll in is crucial to your household’s ability to stay comfortable, enjoy and make the best of winter.”
There are a number of winter preparation tasks that must be done:
Have your heater inspected. It’s the best first step toward determining whether your furnace is fit to create a comfortable environment for your family during the colder months.
Change your air filters. Generally, air filters should be changed every 90 days, although some HVAC professionals would recommend them to be changed every month. Talk to your trusted heating specialists about your heater’s specific needs so that you can be confident that your filter will be in the best condition throughout winter.
Clear out any obstructions in your chimney. Chimneys are known to have all kinds of debris such as leaves, twigs or even birds’ nests in them, so be sure to clean these out well ahead of time. You should also clean out any buildup of soot.
Remove dust buildup from the air ducts. Dust and debris can accumulate in the air ducts and pose a significant health risk — the dust may burn while the furnace is running, which could then cause carbon monoxide to enter your home. This can be particularly dangerous since inhaling carbon monoxide can lead to poisoning or death. You can choose to do the vacuuming yourself or get the professionals to do air duct cleaning for your peace of mind.
Install enough carbon monoxide detectors. As an added measure for preventing the harmful substance from poisoning the household, it’s best to get your hired HVAC professionals to install working detectors throughout the property for increased safety.
Check the thermostat. Make sure the thermostat is working and responding properly, without any issues. This way, you can have it fixed or replaced before winter starts when your Winter Preparation is most effective.
Put in the right storm windows. One problem you could potentially face during winter is heat escaping from your home due to improperly sealed windows; this leads not only to lost heat, but wasted energy and higher bills as well. The best solution is to take out your window screens and replace them with the appropriate storm windows.
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