To ensure your home is ready for the winter follow our tips to winterize. Most items you can do yourself but some will require a professional.
- Hose bibs: Turn off the water to all exterior hose bibs to prevent freezing. Once water is off open the tap slightly to let water drain. If you are in a newer home you will likely have a valve inside to drain all the water from the pipes.
- Irrigation systems: If you have an irrigation system it is imperative that you have the lines blown out to remove all moisture from the lines. This again will prevent freezing of the pipes and ensures your system works next year.
- Clean or replace your furnace filter. Dirty filters make your furnace work harder and reduce its efficiency.
- Have your heating system professionally inspected. Atco gas will come out and check your system (I believe at no charge).
- If you have not done so recently have someone in to clean your vents. This will reduce dust and give you better quality air inside your home.
- Clean your gutters and eavestroughs. Clean eaves allow for proper flow of water so it does not just run over the gutters and land near your foundation.
- Do an inspection of your windows and doors, are there any cracks or gaps that you can fill to reduce the amount of air that comes in cooling your home.
- *** Ensure the grade of your lot is sloping away from your foundation. Grading towards the home is the number 1 cause of water seeping into basement.
- If you have a fireplace, get your Chimney professionally cleaned. A dirty chimney is a fire hazard.