Thursday, December 2, 2010

Winter checklist for your house

Ahhhh, it's a marshmallow world in the winter,
When the snow comes to cover the ground.
It's the time for play, it's a whipped cream day,
I wait for it the whole year round!
- lyrics from Marshmallow World

ConsumerReports.org recommends the following to prepare your house for winter.
  • Clear leaves from your property and gutters and roof
  • Remove piles of leaves, compost, & wood away from house (mice love to nest in debris)
  • Wash windows (you'll appreciate the extra sunlight in winter)
  • Turn off water to hoses and lawn sprinklers (turn off the water from inside the house)
  • Turn off power to outdoor compressor on your central AC
  • Cover outdoor furniture
  • Put away your grill (ours sits outside and rusts)
  • Test your snowblower before you need it
  • Update settings on your programmable thermostat
  • Have a pro service your home heating system
  • Replace furnace filters every month
  • Have your chimney inspected and cleaned
  • Check Fire and CO detectors and fire extinguishers. Smoke detectors should be replaced every 10 years and CO detectors every 5 years.
Bottom Line

I would add
* buy salt or ice melt.
* Check your snow shovels.
* Add mittens, hats and other cold weather gear to your car.
* Put a small shovel and kitty litter for traction in your car trunks.

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1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Disconnect water hoses from the hose bibs (faucets). Water will back up into the house and cause the interior plumbing lines to burst.

December 2, 2010 at 12:23 PM  

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