The Sun Will Come Out – Sooner or Later
Dec 30th, 2009 by Kathy
Although it’s important to winterize your home before the weather gets cold, life often gets so hectic that, before you know it, the year is over, the world is frozen, and you’ve already paid a fortune in heating bills.
The bad news is that the worst is yet to come. The good news is that you can still do something about it; and the bitter cold and snow can give you a good idea of what needs to be fixed. Now, you won’t have to search for gaps and cracks that let air in, because the bone-chilling gusts of wind that whip through your living room will help you to easily pinpoint them. Just get some weatherstripping, caulk, or heat-shrinking plastic, and seal them.
A substantial snowfall can also tell you a lot. If it melts rapidly from atop your shingles, and icicles form quickly, without a thaw, it means that heat is escaping in the exact direction in which your heating bills have been heading – through the roof. Check your attic floor to see that it has adequate, evenly-distributed, gap-free insulation, of uniform thickness. If you have to add more, be sure that the side with the vapor barrier is facing down, toward the rooms that you want to keep warm.
Break up any ice dams that form along the eaves, as they can cause melting snow to puddle and leak through your roof. Wherever possible, sweep snow off roofs that have shallow angles, on your house, garage, gazebo, carport, cabana, pool house, shed, or sunroom.
If you have not taken measures to prevent your pipes from freezing, do it now. You can use foam insulation sleeves, or electric heat tape, but don’t use the latter on plastic pipes. If a severe cold snap is imminent, turn the sink and bathtub faucets on to a slow trickle, and cover exposed crawl space vents with plywood.
If your porch chairs, gliders, swings, and picnic tables are still outside, and they’re not the synthetic or metal types that are impervious to the elements, either store them, or put outdoor furniture covers on them.
Do this even if outdoor furniture is the last thing on your mind right now. It may not happen today, or even tomorrow, but, believe it or not, the sun will come out again!
Yours Outdoors,
Kathy
