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How to Prepare Your House for Winter

You think the holidays are tough to prepare for?

Okay, so maybe they are. But so is getting your house ready for winter. Tougher even than the holidays, especially when you consider that winter extends well beyond New Year’s Day!

Not that we’re trying to dampen your holiday spirit, mind you, it’s just that we think you should multi-task just a little so you don’t get caught off-guard when the really cold weather hits.

Ready for some local and friendly advice? Okay, let’s have at it:

• Insulate unprotected pipes. Take the time to cover water pipes in unheated areas of your house with foam insulation. That will help prevent them from cracking and leaking later on.
• Clean out your gutters. Now that all the leaves have fallen, it’s a great time to make sure your gutters are free from leaves and other debris that otherwise could cause one or more ice dams and all the damage they can cause.
• Shut off all outdoor faucets. At the same time, disconnect your water hoses and put them away for the winter along with related lawn care equipment.
• Stock up on rock salt or snow-melting sand. They are essential to preventing slips and falls on your sidewalks or driveway. Plus, if you wait too much longer, local home centers, etc., are likely to be sold out on any given day.
• Caulk around your windows. If you can feel cold air coming inside, you also have a spot where warm air can escape.
• Test Your Sump Pump. The time when you really need your sump pump to be in top working order is spring, so test it now to ensure you have nothing to worry about before the spring thaw gets underway.

And, of course, no blog on winter preparedness would be complete without advising you to have your heating system professionally cleaned and inspected. That’s a service that should be performed once a year anyway – even your heating system manufacturer recommends it. Has it been more than a year since your last heating system inspection? Then contact Messmer Mechancial today for service. At the same time, be sure to let us know if you need help with pipe insulating or any other plumbing or heating system matter.