How to get Your Home Cold-weather Ready

So far we've been lucky with the weather, it has been too cold or too wintery, but that could all change quickly with the arrival of a northern cold front. It's best to assume the weather will change for the worse and prepare your home anyway, if nothing else you will have confidence over the season that your home is prepared for anything. Read the tips below for the best practices. 

Check Your Insulation 

A big part of comfortably surviving the winter season is to ensure your home is properly insulated. If your home is newer chances are you will have good insulation anyway, like cavity wall insulation, foam SIPs panels, or something similar. You will probably also have double or triple glazed windows. Older homes may not have this protection but you can still improve it. Invest in insulation, such as a cavity wall if you can, otherwise, you could hang heavy curtains and use draft excluders, these are very effective at trapping the warm air and saving you money. 

Check Your Pipes 

One of the worst situations to have in the winter is when your pipes burst, this happens when the temperature outside reaches zero. Any stagnant water in the pipes will freeze causing the metal to burst. When the temperature rises again you get flooding in parts of the house. The situation can be prevented by insulating your pipes with foam before the big freeze. Another tip is to keep your winter running slightly in very cold temperatures. 

Unclog Your Drains 

You may not realize it but your drains may be clogged up following the autumn. Loose leaves that have scattered around during fall get into the gutters on the eaves and clog up sewage drains on the ground. You need to perform a proper service of your drains before the winter weather arrives and you get flooding and the coldest wettest time of the year. Contact a local Sewer and Drain Cleaning service for more information. 

Check Your Boiler 

The last thing you want to fail in the winter is your boiler. It means no hot water or heating all at once and leaves you scratching your head or paying over the odds for an emergency plumber. All of this can be avoided with proper maintenance and regular checks. Have your boiler serviced at least once a year, now is a good time for that, before the very cold weather sets in. Having your boiler checked at this time will give you the confidence you need through the festive season. 

Organise Your Tools 

You never know when the Arctic conditions are going to arrive but when they do you want to be prepared. If there's heavy snowfall outside you don't want to have to rummage around in an icy garage to find the snowblower or some antifreeze. Before the snow and ice really hits, organize your tools in your shed or garage and make sure the things you might need are easy to access. You’ll be grateful when the big freeze hits.