Winter is on its way, and as much as we try to deny it, it will bring freezing weather that can damage your home. However, doing some home maintenance in the fall can go a long way to making sure that you minimize the work that needs to be done later in the season.<\/p>\n
Here are four tips to make sure that you \u2013 and your home – are prepared for the winter.<\/p>\n
Avoid a frosty, costly mess! All outdoor drain pipes should be drained and sealed throughout the winter season to avoid any internal pipe damage. When water freezes, it expands to a size much larger than the volume that it originally had\u00a0\u2014 this means that undrained pipes will expand alongside it and potentially burst. Doing a quick check now can save a lot of time and money later on.<\/p>\n
Although you may not need to have the heating on just yet, it\u2019s good practice to test out your heating unit to see if there are any issues. One of the worst things that could happen is your heating unit breaking down in the middle of winter\u2014resulting in you spending a couple of weeks in the cold. Luckily if you notice anything during the fall, there is still plenty of time for repairs.<\/p>\n
Having any gaps around doors or windows, or in walls, during the winter reduces your heating unit\u2019s efficiency. This causes more strain on the unit itself and also adds to your utility bill. You can prevent this by going around your home or condo and quickly look to see whether or not there are any gaps bigger than the width of a nickel you can seal with a caulking gun. This way you can stay warm and cozy for the coming winter while shaving off a couple of dollars from your bill.<\/p>\n