During these mid-fall months, it is the perfect time to start thinking about winterizing your house. As we all know in this area, the winter sneaks up on us quickly and once the snow starts falling it's too late to prevent costly repairs that could have been prevented. Here are a few tips to help you avoid expensive repairs or having to call for emergency repair services.
10 Easy tips to Winterize your Home for the Winter
1. HVAC - Furnace Inspection: The HVAC repair experts at Gehringer Mechanical can inspect your furnace and clean your ducts. We can also make recommendations for which filters to stock up on. If you use a hot water heater, we can bleed your valves and ensure they are prepared for the upcoming freeze. Gehringer Mechanical can also replace your old thermostat with a programmable one that will help you keep energy costs down.
2. Fireplace Inspection: Make sure that you have your fireplace properly cleaned out by a professional service to clear it of rodents, birds and additional build up that may have taken place during the summer or spring months. Store your firewood in a dry spot away from the exterior of the home.
3. Inspection of Exterior, Doors and Windows: The staff at Gehringer Mechanical can perform a thorough inspection of entry points to the house to ensure that they are properly sealed. Gehringer can weatherstrip doors caulk seal the windows. An additional service is basement inspection to make sure that any windows or external entry points to the basement are properly sealed. We also install storm windows if those are needed for the property.
4. Roof, Gutter, Spout Inspection: We can check your attic to see if you need additional insulation to prevent ice dams and warm air leakage. Gehringer Mechanical will inspect your flashing to ensure water cannot enter the home or form ice sheets. We offer roof and tile inspection, as well as gutter and downspout cleaning.
5. Service Your Seasonal Equipment: Make sure you have drained the gas from lawn mowers, blowers and other items that you will not be using for the next several months. Afterward, they should be placed in dry storage along with the rest of your gardening equipment. Also, make sure to have your snow blowers are tuned up and ready for immediate service. You should inspect and replace, if needed, snow shovels. If you use ice choppers, sand or bags of ice-melt, you can often find good deals on these items now before they are in high demand.
6. Foundation Inspection: Have the Gehringer Mechanical service team inspect your foundations. We can inspect crawl spaces and seal up foundation cracks. Personally, you can rake away debris and edible vegetation from the foundation of the home as well as inspect for dry rot or pet infestation near crawlspaces. If you find anything, contact an exterminator immediately.
7. Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors: Whether you choose to do it yourself, or have the Gehringer Mechanical team do it during a service call, have smoke detectors in every room and have a carbon monoxide detector near your furnace or water heather. Make sure that you have extra batteries and at least one extra smoke detector. You should also inspect your fire extinguisher. If it is more than 10 years old, the extinguisher should be replaced.
8. Prepare Outside Surfaces and Landscaping: The team at Gehringer Mechanical can seal or resurface driveways, brick patios or wood decks. You should check with a landscaper or tree service to see if your trees should be trimmed to avoid winter damage and are not a risk to house or electrical wires. Move sensitive plans indoors or to a climate controled greenhouse.
9. Plumbing: The expert plumbing staff at Gehringer Mechancical can inspect your entire plumbing system to make sure there are no critical leaks or weak valves. They can also insulate all exposed plumbing pipes. They can also instruct you as to where your water main is located in the event that you need to shut it off in case of emergency. Make sure you drain your air conditioning pipes and shut off the air conditioner water valve. Lastly, if you plan on heading out of town during the winter, make sure that the heat is set to a minimum of 55 degrees.
10. Have an emergency kit: Make sure that you have a fresh box of matches, lighters, indoor candles and flash lights that you may need in the event of a power outtage. Make sure you have the phone number to the Utility Companies in a visable location next to the number of the Gehringer Mechanical Emergency Repair Department. Make sure you have ample amounts of extra batteries for all battery operated devices.
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