Time to Winterize Your Home

Yes, it is that time of year already! Time to winterize your home for the winter season. Below are 10 simple steps in making sure your home is ready for the winter months. Hope these tips help you to stay warm. Happy Holidays from everyone at MySecretAgent! 

1. Clean Out Gutters- Clogged drains can form ice dams which water backs up, freezes and causes water to seep into the house. Making sure the gutters are cleaned out will help prevent this from happening. 
2. Block Leaks- One of the best ways to winterize your home is to block obvious leaks around your house, both inside and out.
3. Insulation- Add insulation to the existing insulation in the attic. This is an inexpensive project that you can do and reap the benefits in your heating bill!
4. Check the Furnace- Turn your furnace on, to make sure it's even working, before it is to late.
5. Check Your Ducts- Ducts aren't always easy to see, but you can often find them exposed in the attic, the basement and crawlspaces. Repair places where pipes are pinched, which impedes flow of heated air to the house, and fix gaps with a metal-back.
6. Windows- It is the time to take down the window screens and put up storm windows, which provide an extra layer of protection and warmth for the home.
7. Chimney-  Spring is the time to think about your chimney. That said, don't put off your chimney needs before using your fireplace. a chimney should at least be inspected before use each year
8. Reverse the Fan- Reversing its direction from the summer operation, the fan will push warm air downward and force it to recirculate, keeping you more comfortable.
9. Wrap the Pipes- Before freezing nights hit, make sure that the water to your hose bibs is shut off inside your house. Wrap them with pre-molded foam rubber sleeves or fiberglass insulation, available at hardware stores.
10. Finally, check those alarms- This is a great time to check the all alarms and change the batteries. Also, invest in a carbon-monoxide detector; every home should have at least one.