Owning a home certainly comes with its fair share of responsibilities, not the least of which means that you no longer have a landlord to do the outdoor care and small, minute repair details. It also means that any damage done to your home will fall on your shoulders financially. And one of the times of the year that it becomes most obvious that you need to pay extra attention to the maintenance of your home is during the winter.
To continue our series from last week on tips to winterize your home, please read on.
- Clean your gutters. Not only will gutters packed with leaves and sticks cause a backup of water and prevent it from draining, but they’ll also rot and mold over time. A backup of water will “dam” onto your roof, which can lead to leaking and other issues. It’ll also potentially warp your gutter pipes if it gets too clogged within them.
- Turn off outside faucets. Everyone should know by now that pipes freeze in the winter, but obviously any piping indoors is not a problem due to whatever heating system you have in place. But outdoor faucets don’t have the protection, so make sure you turn them off or risk having a burst pipe in the winter that you’ll have to worry about in the cold.
- Prune shrubs and trees in the late winter. Most horticulturists suggest waiting until the end of the winter to prune any shrubs or trees because the plants have been longest dormant and it will be right before the spring growth happens. If you do it prematurely, you might end up hurting the plant or doing a shoddy job that you end up not pleased with once it comes back into bloom.
- Test your sump pump. Sump pumps are commonly found in basements to drain any water that has collected (especially common if your basement is prone to flooding). Before winter, pour several gallons of water into your sump pump to see whether or not the pump ends up turning on. It’s important to do this after every dry season or right before a rainy one.
- Clean your chimney. This is another one that’s probably best left to the experts. You’ll want to have a chimney sweep come in to inspect that your chimney and vents are cleaned and aren’t damaged at all. If you experience any damage or dirtiness, it could lead to a carbon monoxide leak in your house the next time you light up the fire.