10 ways to prepare your home for cold weather
Winter is just around the corner. Here's what you can do now to get your home ready to withstand freezing temperatures.
Transcript
00:00 fall weather is in full swing and with winter nearing, experts say now is the
00:05 time to get your home ready to withstand freezing temperatures. Once a
00:09 year, have your heating system inspected by a professional. Also, you
00:13 want to check your furnace filters. You want to clean furnace filters in your
00:16 home so that way you breathe easily and a furnace is working easier for that
00:21 hot air to blow out throughout the home. You should also seal your windows and
00:24 doors to stop cold air from coming inside and warm air from escaping. If
00:29 there is a draft, some things we want to do, we want to caulk our windows and
00:32 also want to put window film on our windows, right? The window film and
00:36 caulking can potentially save up to 15% energy savings on your bill
00:40 throughout the winter. To prevent snow or rain damage, clear your gutters and
00:44 downspouts to keep out water and have your roof inspected for any leaks. It's
00:49 also important to locate and test your winter equipment and purchase anything
00:54 you may need. You want to go stock up right now for this. You want to
00:56 purchase a snowblower now to make sure you have it in stock and ready to go
01:01 while you're outside, drain and protect your outdoor faucets to prevent pipes
01:04 from freezing. You should also seal any holes where utilities and pipes enter
01:08 your home. It can prevent mice and rodents looking to escape the cold from
01:13 coming inside. Right now is a great time to start looking at trees and such
01:17 only around the outside of property because if a tree is touching the top
01:22 of a home, the roof, it only takes a millisecond for an animal to go from
01:28 that tree onto the house itself and find their way in. When it gets really
01:33 cold, many people love to cozy up to a roaring fire. Be sure to schedule a
01:37 chimney cleaning before using your fireplace. The reason why is if your
01:42 chimney is not, the chimney cap is not open properly, you can have carbon
01:46 dioxide in your home. You can see whether your smoke and carbon monoxide
01:50 detectors are working properly by clicking the test button on the unit.
01:54 You want one on every level of your house and near every single bedroom so
01:59 that everybody is protected in the home is safe for Accuweather. I'm Emmy
02:02 Victor.
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