TWIN CITIES WEST Blog

Winter Season Prep Checklist

Now that it’s getting colder, it’s time to prepare your home for winter. Winter can be a tough season for your home to weather, especially if you haven’t put together a home checklist first. Before the snow starts to fall, here’s everything you should take care of to survive the winter with ease:

Inspect Your Furnace

Before it gets cold, you should always get your furnace properly inspected by an HVAC professional. This inspection takes care of a few very important things. First, a furnace tune-up will keep your furnace’s energy efficiency as high as possible for as long as possible. Heating your home can be expensive, so every bit of efficiency counts.

Second, if any issues reveal themselves during the inspection, you can get them fixed well before they become a problem in the middle of winter. Don’t let yourself get caught in a snowstorm when your furnace breaks down all of a sudden. Make sure it works and is in good condition right now.

Test All Smoke and CO Detectors

Winter can put a lot of stress on the home, including your electrical and HVAC systems. To ensure your safety through the cold months, make sure to test all of your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. If a fire breaks out or your furnace starts leaking carbon monoxide into the home, you will be a step ahead.

Check Drainage

Take a walk around your home and inspect your downspouts. Make sure they are in good working condition and that they can discharge water far away from your home. If your downspout is discharging water right around the side of your home, the water that the soil absorbs can affect your home’s foundation.

Clean Your Gutters

Cleaning your gutters protects your roof and attic. If your gutters are full of debris and are unable to carry away runoff, water will easily pool up at the edge of the roof and seep into your shingles. When this happens, water can eventually work its way into your attic, where it can lead to mold growth and wood rot.

Inspect Your Attic

A lot of problems in and around the home start with the attic. Make sure there are no holes, gaps, or access points in your attic that would allow moisture or pests to get inside. Also, make sure that your attic is properly insulated and ventilated.

Insulation will prevent heat loss, where ventilation will keep warm, moist air from damaging your attic. Make sure not to close your attic vents. An attic that is too warm can melt the snow on your roof, causing the runoff to form ice dams at the edge of the roof.

We Can Prepare Your Home for Winter

Koala Insulation of Twin Cities West can help prepare your attic for the winter so you can enjoy the best level of comfort at home. If you’ve been searching the internet for the best ways for “preparing my home for winter,” we’re one of those ways. Call or contact our experts to schedule a free attic inspection today!