Winterizing Home in Florida
PostedWinterizing Home – 5 Easy Steps
We here at Cayman Home Construction get a lot of questions about the best ways of winterizing home. The past few weeks have seen temperatures dip into the 40s, and in some outlying areas, into the 30s. If you haven’t done so already, it’s time to make sure your home is ready for the cold months ahead. Here’s a handy check list of the top 5 things you should be doing:
Turn on Your Furnace
If you turned on the furnace yet, take the time to check it now. Let it run for about an hour to make sure it’s functioning properly. The last thing you want is to flip the switch on a cold night and nothing happens. And don’t forget to switch out your air filters! Change of season is the perfect time to do it. Not only does it prevent allergens but a fresh filter will help keep the air flow going and keep bills lower.
Replace Smoke Alarm Batteries
Replace the batteries in all your smoke alarms. This should be done anyway every 6 months, so switching seasons is the perfect time to take care of this. Fires are a huge danger in the winter time so make sure the batteries are fresh and the alarm is functioning correctly. If you have carbon monoxide detectors make sure they’re in working order as well.
Reverse Ceiling Fan Direction
Reverse the direction of your ceiling fans. You may not have thought of this but switching directions will help push warm air down and into the room. As you know from science class, heat rises. Reversing the direction of the ceiling fan will push all that warm air that is collecting at the ceiling back down to the living areas.
Wrap Exterior Pipes
Check and wrap your exposed pipes to prevent bursting when we have a hard freeze. We don’t see the sustained hard freezing temperatures as our northern neighbors, but we do get a few hard freezes in our area. The last thing you want is to wake up with broken pipes and a big plumbing bill. You can find foam caps or foam tubing at your local home improvement store.
Seal For Drafts
Seal potential leaks around doors, windows, or where ever cold air can filter in. If heat escaping has been an issue in the past, you might want to consider installing storm windows. Cayman Home Construction can answer any question you may have about upgrading your windows.
We can help!
If you have any questions or if you’d like us to come out to your home and do a quick inspection to make sure you’re winter ready, give us a call at (904) 241-2436!