As the temperatures drop at Charleston Traditions at Bowling Green in Wake Forest, North Carolina, residents need to make efforts to winterize their home so they can save money and avoid expensive and lengthy repairs. Here are the tips that take the least amount of time and cash to implement.
- Plenty of leaves have been falling this autumn, so make sure to clean your gutters of them and twigs and related debris that back up water and damage roofs, if you feel comfortable doing so on a ladder. Don gloves and goggles to be safe. You can use specialists if desired as well, but doing it yourself can save you at least $100, based on the size of your house.
- Trim and remove any dead or dying tree branches that can fall on your house and damage your roof, windows and doors. The cold, wintry weather makes them likely to drop if not addressed, making this worth the effort.
- Protect your outdoor spigots from freezing when not in use by detaching your garden hoses, closing the inside shut-off valve(s) and draining the faucet fixture. If you forget to do this and they do freeze, it’s not the end of the world. You can solve the situation inexpensively by carefully using a hair dryer or heat gun to warm your frozen faucets.
- Along the same lines, check on your water pipe insulation to help protect your plumbing and valves from cold weather. Cutting and securing the insulation is relatively easy and can reduce energy costs as well.
- Flushing out your hot water heater removes accumulated particles and sediment. Follow the easy instructions on the linked page on what steps to take to run the water through the main valve safely in less than an hour.
- Consider reversing your ceiling fan direction to stay warmer and save energy. Switching your fan blades from turning counterclockwise to clockwise draws cooler air in your home upwards and forces the warmer air near the ceiling back down into the space.
If you have any affordable winterizing suggestions to add, feel free to leave a reply below!
