Winter household maintenance

For homeowners, winter is a quiet period when it comes to outdoor home maintenance. However, the cold season is the ideal time to do all those little indoor jobs that were set aside while the weather was warmer. Therefore, here’s a list of the main maintenance jobs that should be done in the months of December, January and February.
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Insulation
Heating
Ventilation
Humidity
Repairs and improvements
Faucets
Smoke detectors
Snow removal and de-icing
Christmas decorations

Insulation

  • Pay special attention to your home’s doors and windows, as they’re some of the chief sources of air infiltration into house during winter. To evaluate their efficiency, hold a tissue near them on a windy day. If the tissue flutters, cold air is getting into the house. Install weather stripping on the outside edges of doors and windows. Check that the doors and windows close properly before installing the weather stripping. For even more efficiency, you can cover the windows with plastic film that will prevent all air infiltration. You can also improve front door insulation with a strip that insulates the door bottom.
  • Examine all electrical outlets and switches located on “cold” walls, or in other words, walls facing the outside. If you detect cold air, remove the plastic covers and install insulation foam pads specially designed for this purpose.
  • A simple and quick way to reduce your heating bills consists of insulating your hot water pipes by wrapping them in sheathes or insulating tape. And while you’re at it, why not improve your water heater insulation by wrapping it with a cover? Make sure that you leave the access panels and drain valve uncovered.
  • If you’re basement is unfinished, check its insulation efficiency. It’s easy and inexpensive to add or replace fibreglass insulation or polystyrene (styrofoam) if needed.
  • While your water heater’s life expectancy is estimated at ten years, you can easily double that with regular and thorough maintenance. To prolong its life, keep the water temperature at 120 degrees F. This will help to minimize damage to the reservoir. Cut off the electrical supply and drain the tank, and don’t forget to clean the safety valve. By emptying the reservoir at least once per year, you’ll prevent corrosion from forming. To reduce electricity costs, why not place a thermal cover on the heater?

Heating

  • Because they automatically reduce the home’s temperature at night and when you’re absent, programmable thermostats are an efficient way to reduce your heating costs. Easy to program, they produce better comfort for the occupants because they maintain uniform temperature in the house. We suggest that you opt for type 5-2 or 5-1-1 models that support different program settings for weekends and weekdays.
  • Due to its key role in the winter, the furnace must be the subject of regular maintenance. The simplest task, but also the most important, consists of replacing the filter. Before you perform this task, be sure that you stop the oil supply and turn off the electric supply. Because it traps dust, pollen and other air-borne particles, ideally, the filter should be cleaned or replaced every season or at least once per year. To know if you should replace or clean the filter, remove it carefully and hold it up to the light. If most of the light is blocked, it should be replaced.

    Do a visual inspection of the furnace burner. The flame should come up to a blue point. If the flame is yellow, orange, asymmetrical or gives off a lot of smoke, there’s a problem with the burner. Immediately call a furnace specialist. Have him inspect the fuel tank. Pay special attention to possible fuel leaks, to the oil level indicator, the filter, the filling pipe, etc.
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