What’s the difference between your home this year and your home last year? Well one of the differences is your home is now 1 year older. It’s gone through another year of harsh weather, aging and abuse.
Spring and fall are great seasons to do necessary maintenance and upkeep to avoid costly repairs down the road. It doesn’t matter if you live in mild San Diego or in the harsh New England area. Annual maintenance should be done to maintain your home.
Start at the top
Because your roof is not at eye level it’s easy to forget that drains and gutters can become clogged with debris. Leaves, dirt, pine needles and other pieces of garbage can find their way into the openings on the roof and cause leakage problems. While you’re scraping out all the debris from your gutters check to make sure everything is aligned.
Misaligned pipes are a common cause of poor drainage and damage. And make sure all the downpipes are keeping water away from the house foundation. Water should be at least 10 feet from the house to avoid damaging the foundation.
Block Those Pesky Leaks
Before the winter snow and autumn rains come start block up any leaks the may have developed since you last checked. Recessed lighting, electrical outlets, doorframes and window seals are very common places where can cause a problem with leaks.
Try lighting incense and waive the smoke near these trouble spots to identify possible weeks on windy days. Don’t forget to check the cracks beneath your doors. A nifty DIY solution to sealing those door way cracks is to place a rolled up bath towel under the doorjamb.
Try Adjusting Your Fans.
Did you know that ceiling fans don’t always have to go the same direction? Most ceiling fans come with a switch that allows you to make the fan spin in the reverse direction. This counterclockwise rotation can produce a reverse spin can actually make the air warmer.
That’s because warm air rises and spinning in reverse will push the hot air back down to increase circulation cutting your heating costs by at least 10%.
Adjust Water Heater Settings
A simple and free solution to saving money this fall and winter with heating bills is to turn down the temperature on your water heater. Most conventional water heaters are set to 140°. But you really don’t need a water heater that hot. Simply by lowering the temperature to 120° or lower you can reduce your water heating costs by at least 10%.
And while you are adjusting your water heater also add insulation to the pipes and the water heater itself. Water heater insulation will prevent all that excess energy from escaping costing you money.
Keep your Eye on the Thermostat
It can be very easy to forget to turn down the heat on your thermostat can you leave your home Cooling off the house when you leave for long hours during the day can save you unnecessary heating charges. Did you know that there are lots of wonderful companies that can connect your thermostat to your Smartphone?
For example Vivint is a company that provides home automation solutions. They can automate every appliance in your home including your thermostat and allow you to control everything from the convenience of the Smartphone or computer. Don’t Wait Till Winter is Here Now is the time to start preparing for this winter season.
Last year we had a very intense and long winter season in the United States. Some areas in the Northeast had snow on the ground virtually the whole winter and well into spring. If you wait to winterize your home you might run out of time. But if you take the necessary steps you can end up saving lots of money on your energy bills and keep you home free from major problems a little longer.