Depending on where you live within the expansive United States, you’ll be subjected to an entirely different weather system to a family living on the other side of the country. However, universally, when winter sets in, there are some key tasks to complete to ensure that your home is protected against the elements, and here are some of the most important.
Have a Professional Plumber Inspect Your Home
When getting your property ready for winter, it is vital to not only have a professional inspect your central heating and plumbing systems and service the boiler but to also make sure you have the number of an emergency plumber to hand.
Problems arising from faulty or broken pipes or, indeed, a malfunctioning boiler can be exceedingly expensive, especially if your pipes freeze during winter due to a lack of inspections and maintenance.
Install a Back-Up Generator
Electricity is, obviously, the crucial element to running a home, and moreover, not only does a lack of electrical supply result in a boatload of inconvenience, but it can also cause a security and safety issue for you and the rest of your family.
To avoid finding yourself in this situation, you should consider arranging an installation of a dual gas backup generator, which allows both liquid propane and natural gas or gasoline to power your home in case of an emergency.
Invest in a Programmable Thermostat
Another key area to concentrate on when ensuring your property is protected against storms and harsh winds is to think about investing in a programmable thermostat.
Naturally, and even more so now that energy prices have risen dramatically, you’ll want to keep the temperature of your property lower during the night than during the day. However, you could end up shelling out a large amount of money to fix your central heating system should the temperature drop too low.
As a general rule, set your programmable thermostat to ensure your home’s temperature reaches no less than sixty-five degrees, which will hopefully make sure that the pipes don’t freeze. Another benefit of programmable thermostats is that you’ll receive a notification on your smartphone or tablet should frozen pipes be a possibility when the temperature drops too low.
Check Your Home’s Insulation
It may well be the case that you’re already responsibly checking the thickness and quality of the insulation in your loft, but as essential as this is to ensure your home is protected against bad weather, you also need to think about the wall and floor insulation too.
Unless you’re a professional and are fully aware of what to look for when inspecting your property’s insulation, it’s strongly advisable to book an inspection from an established and experienced handyman to ensure that nothing is missed.
In addition, it would also be a good idea to check the insulation around the central pipes and plumbing system in your home and look for any cracks or areas of rust.