Winterizing Tips for Your Ann Arbor Home
With the glorious fall Southeast Michigan experienced this year, and more warm days than cold, it’s hard to believe it’s time to think about winterizing your Ann Arbor Home. But the frigid days are just around the corner, and an occupied house still needs a few important tasks completed. Here are a few tips to get your home winter ready.
- Exterior Spigots. Turn off the water from the inside, turn on the spigot outside to drain, disconnect and put away your hose. A burst pipe can wreak havoc and the cold weather will crack your hose.
- Air Conditioner. If your unit has a shut off valve, turn it off and drain any hoses. Remove window units and store.
- Sprinkler System. If you have an in-ground sprinkler system, have the lines blown out. Simply draining it can leave water in the pipes which will freeze and cause damage.
- Clean Gutters and Downspouts. Make sure leaves aren’t clogging your gutters and downspouts, hampering water flow. Ice dams can form in blocked drains and water can back up and freeze causing damage to your roof and home.
- Heating System. Replace your filter and get your furnace tuned up. Many companies offer free annual check-ups. If there are any problems you can address them now before temperatures drop.
- Thermostat. Reprogram your thermostat so it is turned down when no-one is home and at night. This will save you money on your heating bill.
- Reverse Ceiling Fans. Most ceiling fans have a switch that reverses the blade direction. By doing this, warm air is pushed downward and recirculated keeping the room more toasty.
- Wrap Pipes. Frozen pipes are the last thing you want. If you have pipes that run through unheated areas, be sure those have an insulating wrap protecting them. Likewise, interior pipes that feel warm to the touch should also be wrapped to save energy.
Do you have anything to add to the list? Please leave a comment with your winterizing tip! For more home maintenance tips, or to find out what your Ann Arbor home is worth in today’s market, give us a call at 734-761-3060 or email us at info@bouma.com. And be sure to check our Ann Arbor real estate blog regularly for market updates, subdivision reports, current mortgage rates, community events and more!
The problems with insulation really reappear almost regularly as winter is approaching. From my own experience I know that there are also other things apart from pipes that deserve particular attention to prevent huge amounts of money on your heating bills. Living in a house there is so much I have to do before winter that I sometimes spend the whole days repairing things and cleaning the spots that I usually neglect throughout the year. Above all, it is the maintenance of my fireplace that requires special treatment if I want it to work properly so that my family can enjoy the warm glow of a fire on a cold winter night . Another place that deserves particular attention when preparing my own home for winter is the attic. It usually takes me a lot of time to get rid of the unnecessary stuff that I usually keep there but the effort is always worth it. You wouldn’t believe it but even a little nest built by birds living there during the summer months can cause considerable damage to the insulation which is later reflected in your heating and air conditioning bills.
Those are 2 great and very important winterizing tips. Thanks for sharing those Anthony!