There are only a few months left before winter arrives. Are you ready to keep yourself warm and cozy?
You have your winter bedding ready. You have taken out your warm clothes. Now, it is time to prepare your house for winter too.
Minus temperatures and freezing water can ruin your home and garden. It costs millions of pounds in home insurance claims each year. One of the most common reasons for an insurance claim is frozen or burst pipes.
In this article, I will tell you seven ways to prepare your house for winter.
1. Clear the gutters and drains
It is important to keep your gutters and drains clear from the mud or any debris; i.e. leaves, moss, or twigs. The clogged gutters can block the water flow and water freezes when the temperature drops. To ensure that melting snow runs off your roof and through downspouts, keep the gutters clean and properly connected. If there is any discolouration on the walls or seepage that means there is some blockage.
2. Get your boiler checked
To get proper heating in your house and hot water, make sure that your boiler is working properly. Get it serviced, if needed. Boilers tend to lose pressure over time. Check the pressure on the gauge and adjust it according to your needs. If you don’t check your boiler now, you can suffer the whole winter with no proper heating in your home.
3. Sweep the chimney and furnace
If you have a chimney at your house then make sure you clean it. Fireplaces and chimneys are major causes of fires during winter, so make sure they are properly maintained. You can ask the chimney inspector to examine the condition of the chimney; no water leaking and properly capped to keep heat-seeking animals out.
4. Bleed Radiators
Bleeding the radiators is a process of releasing the trapped air. Air gets into the system and prevents the radiator from being filled with water. So you need to bleed the radiators and expel any air trapped in the system and then fill it with water. To know how to bleed radiators you can check my other blog.
5. Insulate your pipes
The best way to save your pipes from freezing and bursting during the winter is to protect them with a foam layer, called lagging. Use foam under the sinks, in attics and crawl spaces, and on pipes along exterior walls. 37% of all burst pipes occur in basements so use lagging here too. Also, remove any vegetation surrounding your pipe as it can also cause damage.
6. Use heavy curtains
Heat escapes from the uncovered windows. Therefore, it is important to use lined and heavy curtains on your windows in winter. This will stop hot air from going out and the cold breeze coming in.
7. Get your loft or roof insulated
There is a lot of heat loss through the roof, so the first thing you need to do is to insulate your loft. This will also prevent ice dams from forming on your roof.
So, go ahead and start preparing for winters by doing the above-mentioned things. And enjoy your winters with a cup of hot chocolate in your warm and cozy house.
Get In Touch
If you need any help preparing your home for winter please call us at 0758 0395 493. Alternatively, you can email us at mike@wirralplumbers.com and a member of our team will get back to you as soon as possible. We cover Wirral, Liverpool and Chester.
