The unpredictable weather that comes alongside winter can be detrimental to the health of your house unless you prepare properly. Darker nights could call for more outdoor lighting to maintain visibility in your garden, and cold weather requires that you closely monitor your exterior water pipes, or turn them off entirely. Blocked drains should be sorted before temperatures drop and the mushy leaves freeze over. un
Snow is beautiful to watch from the comfort of your home, but it becomes nothing but a nuisance if your house isn’t prepared for the change in weather.
With some simple preparation and mindfulness before and during the winter months, your property will thrive all year round. Here are 3 essential winter maintenance tips that should come in useful for your home this season!
Check The Seals
Use a slim tool, like a screwdriver or your finger, to assess the seals around your windows and doors for hidden openings. Any gap in the seal will let cold air pass into your house, which you don’t want. Your heating bills will be costly if you’re trying to warm a property that won’t retain heat properly, so fixing this error will save you money in the long run.
If you find a gap, fill it in with caulk to prevent heat escaping. Even if you have to hire a handyman to do this job for you, it’ll be less costly than overspending on your heating bills and spending winter cold in your home. Also don’t forget to check around the vents of your home for gaps, and keep an eye out where exterior pipes attach to your property. Inspect the exterior of your property to make a note of any potential access points for cold air, and double-check that everything possible is in place to prevent heat escaping.
Service Your Boiler Early
Effective boiler installation, repairs and servicing are all vital to keeping your home happy and healthy, and even more so during winter. Risking your boiler breaking down in winter would be foolish, so make sure to book an inspection and a service before cold weather properly kicks in. You might consider taking out boiler breakdown cover to ease your mind in the expensive build-up to Christmas.
Though spending money on servicing, inspecting and insuring your boiler may seem daunting, having to arrange a last-minute boiler replacement is almost guaranteed to break the bank more. If the weather is cold enough, your house could be freezing if your boiler malfunctions, and then you’ll have to arrange alternative accommodation too. Pre-empt these issues, and save yourself the hassle.
Assess Your Roof
Winter storms can take a toll on even the smallest faults in your roof. A hidden gap can easily be exploited by freezing temperatures and harsh sleet, and escalate to require a significant and costly repair. The last thing that you’ll want to be burdened with over the winter period is a gigantic roof repair, and particularly since you’ll have to live somewhere else while work is done.
Look out for missing or cracked tiles on your own where possible, but leave any roof repairing or close inspection to professionals. As is a steady theme with all minor repairs before winter, it will be less costly to fix the small error than to wait for the problem to escalate! Replacing broken roof tiles and filling gaps where necessary is quicker, more straightforward and cheaper than a total roof renovation after an incident.
For further advice on how to winter-proof your home, including best practices regarding your heating and gas services, please contact us at Kiasu Workforce. We’d be more than happy to help.
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