What advice do you have on winter proofing you home?

Dsm11496675
by Dsm11496675
  8 answers
  • DesertRose DesertRose on Dec 07, 2017

    The big thing is that your home be well insulated, if not, you could save enough money one winter to insulate your home professionally for what is wasted on heating it. Then you want to stop heat loss. Check all the pipe outlets and even electric outlets to be sure there is no air passing through open spaces. Small space losses of heat add up to the same as a foot wide hole in a wall if they were all combined! You do not want to be losing that much heat. Put insulation or calking where needed to insulate those small areas. Then check the windows. Some people use clear plastic kits to put on their windows to cut down drafts along with rubber strips along the frame of the window and doors. These are all helpful, but what we did was use bubble wrap and leave a vertical slit 6 or so inches wide or across the top of the windows in areas where we hardly use. We have 2 spare bedrooms and these windows were covered completely, and a hallway and the bathrooms. Some windows we left without any bubble wrap, it depended on the need and use of the window. I like to see out my kitchen window but we seldom sit at the dining room table to need to see out that window for example. Bubble wrap is inexpensive, lets in light, and cuts down all the cold drafts for extreme winter cold! Hope this helps

  • Judi1 Judi1 on Dec 07, 2017

    Are you having any issue like water freezing?

  • Pascale Nguyen Pascale Nguyen on Dec 07, 2017

    Several things! I followed some of these ideas:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYOhxK0yauE&t=26s

  • Joy30150932 Joy30150932 on Dec 07, 2017

    Good weather stripping on outside doors, seal all cracks with caulk, put the foam pieces inside your outside wall electric outlets.

  • Chubby58 Chubby58 on Dec 07, 2017

    One thing I have learned. Buy those covers for your outdoor faucets. Unscrew all your hoses and drain the water and put them inside or in the garage. If you can't afford the covers, take a thick sock and wrap it around your faucet then cover with plastic bag and duct tape.

  • Mogie Mogie on Dec 07, 2017

    Weatherize everything. Start at the ceiling and work down. Don't forget to cover outside vents at the foundation. Make sure you water heater has a good insulating "blanket" too.