Fall is a wonderful time to get your home ready for the winter. With a little preparation you can prepare your Sterling Heights and Auburn Hills home for the long, hard winter months. Winterizing your Michigan home with these 10 tips will save you money and keep your home comfortably warm.
- Gutter cleaning-Keeping your gutters clear of leafs and other debris will help snow and ice from forming damns that can back up and cause leaking into your home.
- Check for leaks-Sealing leaks around electrical outlets, window and door frames prevents cold air from entering your home. Placing door sweeps on exterior doors will fill any cold air gaps near the floor.
- Check your insulation-If you can see any ceiling joists in the attic you will need to add some insulation 12 inches is the recommendation. Having the proper amount of insulation benefits you all year round and is easy to install yourself.
- Furnace checkup-You should have your furnace tuned and cleaned annually by a professional to ensure it is runny properly. Checking and changing the filter when dirty will help keep your furnace running smoothly and save on energy.
- Check the ducts-Check your furnace ducts for gaps and repair any that are ill fitting. You will also want to check your ducts for open spaces around them that may need insulation to block cold air.
- Windows-Replace your window screens with storm windows if you have them or you can use insulator kits to seal out old man winter.
- Check the chimney-Have your chimney cleaned and cleared of foreign objects before use to help prevent fires. Closing the dampers when not in use will prevent cold air from entering.
- Ceiling fans-Ceiling fans are wonderful for forcing warm air down when they are set to reverse the air flow.
- Wrap exposed pipes-Wrapping exposed pipes will help prevent them from freezing.
- Check the detectors-Check your smoke detectors to ensure they work. Make sure you have a working carbon-monoxide detector also.
Winterizing your Michigan home is easy with a few simple steps. To have your furnace serviced contact Aladdin Heating and Cooling Today.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Warren, Michigan about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about winterizing and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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