The winter season includes the coldest months of the year. Some people dread winter while others look forward to winter activities, such as skating and skiing.
Whether or not you’re a fan of the winter season, winter can wreak havoc on your home and comfort if you aren’t prepared for the change in weather. Taking the crucial steps outlined here ensures your home’s ready for the cold winter months ahead.
Invest in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) maintenance.
Your home’s HVAC system performs essential tasks throughout the year. While your air conditioner must operate correctly before the summer months, you must have your HVAC company perform routine maintenance in the fall before the cold weather arrives. Certified HVAC technicians inspect your furnace, ensuring it’s working correctly. Their tasks include replacing damaged parts, replacing your air filter, and cleaning your ducts.
Replacing your air filter ensures the HVAC unit effectively traps allergens and toxins circulating in your indoor air. Contaminants in your air can cause allergic reactions, trigger asthma attacks, and cause respiratory illnesses. Cleaning your ducts also reduces the volume of toxins in your home, improving air quality and protecting your health.
Your HVAC technicians will ensure your system’s ready for the cold months ahead. Experts offering furnace repair in Albuquerque will take steps to prevent your heater from breaking down when you need it most. Preventative maintenance and repairs prevent you from needing to vacate your home during a cold snap if your heater stops working.
Clean your home’s exterior.
Your home’s exterior withstands the elements year-round, and it’s a good idea to have your siding and gutters cleaned before winter. The cleaning experts with Labor Panes Lake Norman can come to your home and use a low-pressure soft wash to remove dirt and mold from your home’s siding. This improves your home’s curb appeal and prevents mold and mildew from spreading inside your home.
Expert cleaners also offer window cleaning services. Having your windows washed ensures they look great before the cold winter months and removes grime from the window panes. Have a Labor Panes crew clean your gutters. Removing debris and nests from your home’s gutters eliminates blockages, ensuring your gutters work correctly. Your gutters allow precipitation to flow away from your roof, protecting your roof from water damage. Without working gutters, moisture can penetrate your roof and cause interior damage.
Think about fire safety.
The cold weather prompts people to spend more time indoors in the winter, and if you have a fireplace, there’s a good chance you’ll have a fire during the winter. Hire professional chimney cleaners to clean your chimney to avoid a house fire. Creosote in chimneys causes tens of thousands of house fires each year. Hiring cleaners to remove this flammable substance ensures you can enjoy a winter fire while reducing the risk of a house fire.
Check your smoke detector to ensure it’s working and replace the batteries. You should also check your carbon monoxide detector and make sure it’s working before winter starts. Burning fuel increases the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, which is why you should be sure your detector’s ready for winter.
Focus on your windows and doors.
Your home’s windows can allow undesirable airflow, causing drafts that make it uncomfortable to sit near windows in your home in the winter. Apply weather stripping or caulking to reduce drafts. You can also reglaze window panes to reduce airflow. You can also hang blackout curtains to trap cold air and keep it from lowering the temperature indoors.
Doors can also allow cold air to seep inside your home. Apply weather stripping and weatherproof your doors to reduce drafts. Use a draft guard to prevent cold air from entering your home.
Getting your home ready for winter ensures it’s safe and comfortable during the coldest months of the year. Preventative maintenance ensures your home’s ready for winter.
