Top Ten Tips to Winterize Your Home
2) Caulk any holes in foundation to keep small animals from crawling under the house. Mice can slip through a space as thin as a dime.
3) Check between ceiling joists in your attic for proper insulation. A ceiling joist is usually 10 to 11 inches deep; insulation should be 12".
4) Turn your furnace on now to make sure it's working before the coldest weather descends. A strong, short-lasting smell is natural, if the smell lasts a long time, shut down the furnace and call a professional.
5) Trim branches that hang too close to the house or electrical wires. Ice can be more dangerous to trees than wind and can cause major damage to your home.
6) Take down window screens and replace with storm windows. If you don't have storm windows and your windows are leaky or drafty, a window insulator kit consisting of plastic sheeting that's affixed to a window's interior with double-stick tape does the trick.
7) Your chimney should be inspected before use each year. A chimney cap will prevent debris, birds and rain from coming in. Rain mixed with ash can erode fireplace walls.
8) Reverse the direction of your ceiling fan to push warm air downward, keeping energy bills low. Fan blades should spin clockwise in winter, counterclockwise in summer.
9) Before freezing nights hit, make certain the water to any outdoor faucets are shut off from the turnoff valve inside your house and that the lines are drained.
10) Invest in a carbon-monoxide detector, change the batteries on your smoke detectors and check to make sure your fire extinguisher is in good working order.
