Don’t Get Caught In The Cold – Winterize Your Colorado Home Now
I know it might sound a bit silly to winterize your home in the fall to people who do not live in Colorado, but any resident knows that once Halloween hits, the possibility for snow and freezing temperatures are here to stay! Typically it is best to get all your winterizing done before the first snow comes and for the majority of mountain towns in Colorado that has already happened. Luckily for most people living in the Front Range we might have at least a few more weeks of fall to get all of our preparation done. Winterizing in a general sense refers to anything you have to do in order to make your home ready for colder temperatures and potential precipitation of the months ahead.
Prepare your yard for the changing of the season! To do this you want to make sure you have cleared out all overgrown and dead foliage. This will help things grow back nice and neat next spring. You also should bust out the ladder and clean your gutters making sure to reach the ones on the top as well. It’s also a good idea to bring all patio furniture cushions indoors, clean and cover your grill, and make sure you have left the lawnmower gas tank empty.
Turn it off and blowout the line! Shut off your outdoor water supply via the shut off valve and blow out your sprinkler system by running it a few times without water. Make sure to release the water pressure from the outdoor water pipes connected to the sprinkler as well to get rid of any remaining water while it is cycling. You also want to disconnect your hoses and drain the existing water out of them so they are not damaged by freezing temperatures. If you have pipes that are exposed or run along a wall that is not insulated very well, you may also want to consider wrapping them with added insulation to prevent them from freezing.
Pay attention to your windows! If you have storm windows, installing them could mean the difference of hundreds of dollars during the course of the season, so be sure to use them if you have them. If you don’t have any, consider winterizing your windows instead. There are several ways to go about this using weather stripping, window films, rope caulk, or just adding window coverings. Any of these methods can help improve your windows’ efficiency in places you frequent the most will help you keep the thermostat down.
Give the furnace and air ducts a good check up! Having your furnace, air ducts, and dryer lines serviced by a professional will help out a lot more than just in the winter. It will further improve the efficiency of your system and your home’s air quality, as well as prevent potential fire hazards. You will want to change your furnace filter frequently during constant use to ensure that your systems will not fail and continue to run optimally. Along these same lines, you should also have your fireplace professionally cleaned before your first fire.
Get ready for sudden winter! By putting away all your spring and summer stuff, replacing it with its winter counterpart, you will be prepared for when the first sudden snow or below zero morning hits. Don’t be left scraping your car windows with a credit card because you could not find the scraper! Instead do an inventory and make sure you have your ice scraper, shovels, ice melt, windshield washer fluid, emergency car kit, and winter boots on hand.