Fortunately for some and unfortunately for others, we’re not too far away from winter creeping its way into existence. As a result, people are already looking for ways in which they can prepare their home for winter.
Depending on where you live in the world, the divergence in weather conditions between summer and winter is drastic. Most places see the sun fade away, temperatures get colder, and rain becomes a lot more common. It’s for this reason that we must prepare our home differently for winter than we do the summer.
Read on to discover just how you can ensure that your home is in good stead to combat the complications that winter may present.
Prepare Your Windows
First and foremost, you should assess the condition of your windows, as this is predominantly where heat will escape if they’re not in a very good condition. Therefore, it’s essential that your windows are equipped to handle frosty temperatures and wintry gusts.
Window manufacturers and instalers, such as Diamond Windows (Droitwich) Limited, always recommend having at least double glazing, if not triple glazing, throughout your home. Therefore, if you’re still sporting single-glazed windows, it might be a good idea to switch these out before winter makes its way onto the scene. In addition to this, any cracks should be filled, and any wood should be treated.
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Clear Drains and Gutters
Once you can say with confidence that your windows are ready for winter, it’s time to prep the house’s exterior. This prep comes in the form of clearing drains and gutters of leaves and debris. Without doing this, your home’s drainage system will be compromised, and it could lead to flooding and other complications. Though this poses a threat all year round, it’s even more prominent in winter, due to the fact that rain and other torrential conditions are much more common.
Not only can faulty drains and gutters flood the exterior of your home, but they can cause leaks in your home’s interior. Therefore, assessing and amending the condition of your drains and gutters should be prioritised before winter arrives.
Service Your Boiler
You should have your boiler serviced at least once every 12 months, and it’s ideal if this annual check falls just before winter. After all, no one wants to suffer through the chill of winter in the absence of central heating. Therefore, you don’t want the check or any repairs to fall in winter, but you also don’t want them to fall just after winter, in case something goes wrong in the meantime, which results in you having faulty heating during the coldest months. Of all times, this isn’t the time that you want your heating to give up, so time the service well if you can.
Set a Timer for Your Heating
Even if you’re not home, you should have your heating come on occasionally in order to prevent the pipes from freezing. This doesn’t mean that you need to drain all your money away on extortionate heating costs, as you’ll only need to have it on a low temperature for a few minutes each day. This way, you can be sure that your pipes aren’t under threat even if the temperature drops in your absence.
Keep Your Pipes Warm
Following on from preventing pipes from freezing, keeping your pipes warm is an essential. Therefore, you should apply lagging to any water tanks or pipes that are exposed in utility rooms, garages, and lofts. Without this care, they may be prone to freezing and bursting when temperatures drop below freezing.
