{"id":3542,"date":"2021-11-22T21:52:41","date_gmt":"2021-11-22T21:52:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/engineering\/ABE\/INPREPared\/?p=3542"},"modified":"2021-12-03T17:58:13","modified_gmt":"2021-12-03T17:58:13","slug":"its-time-to-winterize-your-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/engineering\/ABE\/INPREPared\/its-time-to-winterize-your-home\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s time to winterize your home!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Source: “Winterizing Your Home” PREPnote, available for download at https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/engineering\/ABE\/INPREPared\/prepnotes\/<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Thanksgiving weekend allows most of us a little time to spend with family and friends, watch football, and if you’re adventurous enough, maybe some Black Friday shopping or decorating for Christmas. However, the long weekend is also a great opportunity to prepare ourselves and our homes for the cold and snowy winter season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking some time and effort now to prepare you home for winter can save hassles and headaches later in the season.  In addition, a properly winterized home can save money on heating bills!  When winterizing your house, check each of the following items. Repair as necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOTE:  Safety first!  If you are unable, or lack the necessary tools or equipment to safely accomplish these tasks, please ask a friend or family member for assistance, or hire a home-repair contractor!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"home
Winterize your home before winter hits!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Roof<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I)    Check for broken, damaged, or loose shingles, small holes, and loose nails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2)   Check flashing around all dormers, vent pipes, chimneys, and any other projections where the roof covering meets an adjoining surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gutters and downspouts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I)    Clean out leaves, dirt, and debris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2)   Paint any rusty gutters<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3)   Check supports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exterior<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I)    Repair cracks in stucco or masonry walls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2)   Spot repair and paint any defective areas to prevent damage from freezing and thawing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Windows and doors<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1)   Check weather stripping around windows, doors, and between foundation and siding. Replace where needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2)   Check metal weather stripping for dents, bends, breaks, loss of tension, or other damage that could make it less effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3)   Repair and caulk storm windows if necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heating system<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I)    Have a qualified person clean and check your furnace, replacing necessary parts. Furnace check should include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

a) \u00a0 fan belts – check for proper tension. cracks or wear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

b) \u00a0 motors and bearings – oil units equipped with oil parts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

c) \u00a0 filters – clean or install new filters. Fiberglass filters will need to be replaced since they lose their effectiveness if cleaned and re-used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

d) \u00a0 hot and cold air register – vacuum if necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

e) \u00a0 humidifier (if part of furnace) – remove scale. lime deposits. and corrosion. Check float valve and evaporator plate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2)   Remove air conditioner for winter storage. Cover with dustproof cover. If air conditioner is left in the window, install a weather proof cover. and seal the space around the unit with caulking compound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Driveways and sidewalks<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I)    Clean and repair cracks. fissures, and joints in concrete surfaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2)   Upgrade gravel driveways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3) \u00a0 Repair cracks or fissures in asphalt drives. Seal with asphalt topcoating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information about preparing your home and farm for winter weather and other extreme weather, please check out our PREPnotes at https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/engineering\/ABE\/INPREPared\/prepnotes\/<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Source: “Winterizing Your Home” PREPnote, available for download at https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/engineering\/ABE\/INPREPared\/prepnotes\/ The Thanksgiving weekend allows most of us a little time to spend with family and friends, watch football, and if you’re adventurous enough, maybe some Black Friday shopping or decorating for Christmas. However, the long weekend is also a great opportunity to prepare ourselves and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":3543,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,10],"tags":[39,59,30,38,42,58,57],"class_list":["post-3542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-news","category-news_blog","tag-emergency-planning","tag-home-maintenance","tag-indiana-prepared","tag-purdue-extension","tag-rural-emergency-preparedness","tag-winter-preparation","tag-winterize"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/engineering\/ABE\/INPREPared\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3542","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/engineering\/ABE\/INPREPared\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/engineering\/ABE\/INPREPared\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/engineering\/ABE\/INPREPared\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/engineering\/ABE\/INPREPared\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3542"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/engineering\/ABE\/INPREPared\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3542\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3545,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/engineering\/ABE\/INPREPared\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3542\/revisions\/3545"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/engineering\/ABE\/INPREPared\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3543"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/engineering\/ABE\/INPREPared\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/engineering\/ABE\/INPREPared\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/engineering\/ABE\/INPREPared\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}