Tips To Help You Winterize Your Maryland Home

October 24, 2011

Don't forget to winterize your Maryland home this fall, which will help enjoy savings and have peace of mind this winter.

In Highland, Fulton and all across Maryland, with the recent arrival of cooler temperatures, homeowners have started packing up their flip flops and Bermuda shorts and digging out hats, mittens, scarves and sweaters in preparation of winter. So now that you are ready for winter, it is time to turn your attention to getting your home ready as well. ProBuilt Construction, a longtime Maryland home improvement company, would like to offer homeowners some tips on winterizing your home.

• Clean out your gutters; if leaves and other debris is left behind, it can add significant, extra weight when frozen and can cause water to back up onto your roof, potentially causing leaks

• Have your furnace serviced; have a professional cleaning annually and remember to check filters on a monthly basis, a dirty oil filter can impeded air flow, reducing the efficiency of your furnace

• Insulation, Insulation, Insulation; There are numerous areas throughout your home that could use a little, extra insulation, which will save a ton of money in the long run. Pay close attention to attics, exterior outlets, switch plate covers, hot water heaters and unused fireplaces

• Check your chimney; make sure your chimney is free of debris from bird or squirrel nests, make sure the damper is working properly, check for missing bricks and replace immediately and have your chimney professionally cleaned

• Check for leaks around doors and windows; if you live in an older home, drafty windows and doors could be a particularly bad problem, but if new windows and doors are not in the budget this year, plan on adding door sweeps and caulking around windows; window kits are also available, which is simply shrink-wrapping a thin piece of plastic over your windows to stop drafts, they are not very attractive, but are extremely effective and inexpensive

• Take down screens and hang storm windows

• Don’t forget your plumbing; this included wrapping exposed piping, especially in crawl spaces and basements to prevent pipes from bursting if they freeze, shutting off outdoor faucets and draining any plumbing system that may not be used throughout the winter months

• If you have a ceiling fan, reverse the direction to drive heat down from the ceiling

• Remember to check your smoke detectors and change the batteries when we change the clocks back

By taking a day to winterize your home, you can enjoy a season of savings and have peace of mind all winter long.

For more information on ProBuilt Construction or our Maryland home improvement services, please contact our professional Maryland carpenters today!

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