Preparing Your Home for Cold Temperatures

So far Indiana has had a fairly mild winter.  A bit of snow, a few bitter cold snaps with spring-like temps peppered in between.  This week temps are predicted to dip into the teens, and there are several winter weather precautions you need to take to protect your home and to stay warm when temperatures dip well below freezing.

Here are a Few Tips we Recommend:

1.  Change your furnace filter - this is important to maintain your furnace.  This is an extremely important task that needs to be done frequently to maintain good airflow in furnace

2.  Keep drapes and blinds closed, except when windows are in direct sunlight.  - Those that are open, close around 4pm to retain the warmth

3. Keep you thermostat on a steady, comfortable temperature.  Layer on a sweater or an extra blanket if  you get cold rather than turning up the thermostat. 

4. Make sure the chimney flue is closed when fireplace is not in use

5. Put draft snakes/dodgers on window sills, between window frames and against doors

6. Keep your Garage Door closed

7. Run Ceiling Fans in reverse on a low speed to help circulate warm air

The Red Cross has this advice:
• Avoid frozen pipes - run water, even at a trickle, to help prevent them from freezing. Open the kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. Keep the garage doors closed if there are water lines in the garage.

• Never use a stove or oven to heat your home.

• If you are using a space heater, place it on a level, hard surface and keep anything flammable at least three feet away - things such as paper, clothing, bedding, curtains or rugs. Turn off space heaters and make sure fireplace embers are out before leaving the room or going to bed.

• If you are using a fireplace, use a glass or metal fire screen large enough to catch sparks and rolling logs.

• Use generators correctly - never operate a generator inside the home, including in the basement or garage.

• Don’t hook a generator up to the home’s wiring. The safest thing to do is to connect the equipment you want to power directly to the outlets on the generator.

There is plenty of information out there... always be prepared!  These are just a few tips we recommend as cold weather approaches.  Our suggestion is to prepare well in advance of cold weather arriving!  Caulking, gutter & downspout cleaning, insulating etc are worth the effort in the warmer months to prevent damage in the winter!

Our Next Post will be Snow and Ice Storm Preparedness!  Both your home and your car!

Stay Warm & Happy New Year!