With cold weather approaching, it’s time to take a couple days and  make sure your home is a fortress. You don’t want any of your precious heat escaping, and you don’t want any of the winter weather getting in. To help you get started, here are some of the most important tasks to get your house ready for whatever old man winter has in store.

Evaluate your roof to prevent ice dams

If your home had lots of icicles or ice dams last winter, take steps to prevent potential damage this year. In cold weather, heat escaping your home can melt and refreeze ice and snow on your roof, leading to ice dams. These block off drains, and let water and ice continually build up on your roof and possibly under it, weakening your roof and putting your home at risk.

To help prevent ice dams you may want to insulate your attic. It should have plenty of insulation to prevent too much heat transfer from your living areas to the attic. Check parts of the attic that may not be well insulated, like: pipes and vents, chimney systems, light fixtures.
What’s also crucial is to ventilate your attic. If your attic wasn’t built with a ventilation system, contact a professional about ventilating your attic before winter. Proper ventilation allows cold air into the attic, while the insulation seals heat in your living areas. This can help prevent warm air from melting ice on the roof, leading to possible damage.

Prune trees around the house

If there are long tree branches hanging near your house, your roof, or your gutters, prune them before it gets too cold. Branches broken from heavy snow and ice can cause all kinds of damage to your home. A few hours with the pruner now could save you thousands of dollars in damages later this winter.

Reverse Your Ceiling Fans

If your ceiling fan has a reverse switch, use it to run the fan’s blades in a clockwise direction after you turn on your heat. Energy Star says the fan will produce an updraft and push down into the room heated air from the ceiling. This is especially helpful in rooms with high ceilings and it might even allow you to turn down your thermostat by a degree or two for greater energy savings.

Clean Your Gutters

If your gutters are full of detritus, water can back up against the house and damage roofing, siding, wood trim and cause leaks and ice dams. Once the last leaf has fallen to the ground, it’s time to clear out your gutters. Either hire someone, or climb up the ladder yourself, and get rid of all the build up and any blockages. Clear gutters help drain water away from your roof and your house. If they’re clogged however, especially in colder months, they’re more apt to freeze, causing additional blockages. Blocked gutters can allow melting ice and snow to seep into your roof, or flood your home’s foundation, causing damage. If it’s safe to do so, take some time before winter hits and clear out your gutters, or contact us and we will be happy to provide you with professional help.