It’s that time of the year where most everyone enjoys the cozy comforts that come along with the winter season. Sweaters, comfy clothes, hot drinks, curling up on the couch – nothing beats this feeling of peace and warmth coziness brings. Because Kettering-Oakwood Heating & Air understands the importance of keeping your home well-heated, we have compiled a list of home winterization tips for you so you can ensure your furnace continues to work in collaboration with your house.
Draft Guards
Have you ever noticed spaces or gaps under your doors and windows? Maybe you can feel a slight draft passing through them. Multiple holes and openings in a house will make for a drafty home. Drafts guards are a simple solution to tackling those gaps under any doors and windows. They slide right under the opening and create airtight seals.
Attic Insulation
Homeowners should have 10-14 layers of insulation in their attics. The same rule applies to any spaces with insulation (crawl spaces, etc.). Hot air rises, so proper insulation is a must! If an attic is not insulated enough, the warm air will rise to your ceiling and escape through the attic.
Door Weatherstripping
If your doors currently have weatherstripping on them, now would be a great time to inspect them. You want to look for rips, tears, or gaps in the weatherstripping. Should you find any, those parts should be replaced. If there is no weatherstripping on your doors, then this is something we highly suggest considering. Weatherstripping goes on all four sides of a door and will aid with providing an extra barricade for your home’s warm air.
Outside Hose
When water freezes, it expands. For this reason, you dont want to forget about that garden hose you have sitting outside! Water will sit inside a hose, then freeze when temperatures drop. A water hose will not expand to accommodate the newly frozen water. As a result, this can cause a few problems such as pipes bursting, broken joints, or broken valves.
Chimney Balloon
One thing that often gets overlooked when winterizing a home is the chimney. Think about it. You can seal up all the cracks in your walls, close off any openings in your windows and doors, but there is still a gaping hole at the top of your chimney. Now a lot of fireplaces have a damper. But perhaps the one in your home is broken. If this is the case, we suggest considering a chimney balloon. They function as a regular balloon does in how they expand when inflated. A chimney balloon will fit perfectly in your chimney and create a tight seal that cuts off air from passing through. Chimney balloons are a fantastic and inexpensive solution.
We send our warmest wishes this season from your professionals at Kettering-Oakwood Heating & Air. Hopefully, this list has aided in making the home winterization process a tad more manageable for you. Start with one thing and pace yourself. It doesn’t all need to be done in one day. Adjustments, as they happen, will still make all the difference. So, stay warm this season, and please do not hesitate to call us if you have any concerns with your HVAC system.
Call Kettering-Oakwood Heating & Air today at (937) 502-3842, or schedule an appointment online now by clicking here!
