5 Tips for Winterizing Your PA Home, so You Can Stress Less
When the calendar turned to January, we entered the coldest month of the year here in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. With an average temperature hovering around 25° Fahrenheit, it’s important your home is ready for the brutal ice and snow that is likely to come. Winterizing your PA home is an important yearly procedure to add to your to-do list. Read on to learn Eshenaurs five tips for prepping your home for a safe winter season.
Top 5 Tips for Winterizing Your PA Home
1. Put your garden hoses away.
Ice expands when it freezes, so if your hose is still outside, you risk the water in the hose freezing and bursting, ruining your hose. To avoid this, detach your hose, and store it away with your other outdoor living equipment.
2. Turn off your water and lower your heat if you head out of town.
If you plan to escape the cold and head out of town for any length of time, make sure to take the proper precautions. Turn off your home’s water access, and drain the pipes of any excess water by letting your sinks run for a few minutes. While you should leave your furnace running while you are away, you can turn your thermostat down to 55 degrees. Also, sign up for automatic heating oil or propane delivery, so your home is ready for cold weather even while you’re away.
3. Don’t let warm air escape your home.
You spend good money heating the air in your home; don’t let it escape. Run your hands along windows and doors. If you can feel cold air seeping in, warm air can get out. Apply some caulk or weather stripping to that area, and keep the heated air in your home.
4. Take care of your gutters.
It’s easy to forget about cleaning your home’s gutters during the winter, but keeping them clean is crucial to the health of your home. If your gutters clog during the winter, the water trapped in the clog can freeze, expand, and damage your gutter system or home.
5. Plan to avoid icy walkways.
Leaving a warm and cozy home to tend to snowy sidewalks is not a favorite winter activity, but keeping your walkways clear of snow and ice can help prevent serious injury or trouble. Keep ice melt on hand, and, after a snowfall, don’t forget to shovel your walkways and a path to your fuel storage tank or fill pipe.
Related Post: 4 Steps to Prepare Your Pennsylvania Home for Winter
You Can Count on Eshenaurs for Your Winter Energy Needs
The experts at Eshenaurs are more than happy to assist with any of these tips for getting your Harrisburg, PA home ready to take on the coldest part of the year. Your safety is our priority, so contact us anytime. Also, if you are ready to further your winter weather preparation, visit our website to learn about our comprehensive generation installation process, and schedule a free quote.