How to Winterize Your Home

Winterizing your home involves sealing air leaks, insulating pipes, servicing your heating system, and preparing your exterior to prevent costly damage from freezing temperatures.

1. Find Drafts, Seal Tight. Walk around your home with a lit candle or incense stick on a windy day to detect drafts. Apply weatherstripping to doors and windows where you feel air movement. Use caulk to seal gaps around window frames, door frames, and anywhere different building materials meet. Pay special attention to areas where utilities enter your home.
2. Wrap Pipes Before Freeze. Wrap all exposed water pipes in unheated areas like basements, crawl spaces, and garages with foam pipe insulation or heat tape. Focus on pipes along exterior walls and in areas that get especially cold. For faucets on exterior walls, install insulated faucet covers to prevent freezing.
3. Tune Heating Now. Replace your furnace filter with a fresh one rated for the heating season ahead. Have a professional inspect and tune your heating system if it hasn't been serviced in the past year. Clean your heating vents and ensure furniture isn't blocking airflow. Test your thermostat to make sure it's working properly.
4. Shut Off Exterior Water. Locate your main water shut-off valve and ensure it works properly. Drain and disconnect all outdoor hoses, then shut off water to exterior spigots if possible. Know where your water meter is located and how to read it to detect leaks. Consider letting faucets drip slightly during extreme cold spells.
5. Clear Gutters, Prevent Ice. Remove all leaves, debris, and standing water from gutters and downspouts. Check that gutters are properly secured to your home and that downspouts direct water at least 6 feet away from your foundation. Look for ice dam formation areas and consider installing gutter guards if debris is a recurring problem.
6. Verify Insulation Coverage. Inspect attic insulation to ensure it covers the entire floor area without gaps. Look for areas where you can see the ceiling joists below, which indicates insufficient insulation. Check basement or crawl space insulation, especially around rim joists where the foundation meets the wooden frame of your house.
7. Store and Protect Outside. Drain and store outdoor furniture cushions in a dry location. Cover or store grills, lawn mowers, and other equipment. Wrap sensitive plants with burlap or move potted plants to protected areas. Trim tree branches that could fall on your house during ice storms.
8. Gather Winter Emergency Gear. Keep a supply of salt or ice melt for walkways and driveways. Store flashlights, batteries, and a battery-powered radio in case of power outages. Have extra blankets accessible and consider keeping bottled water on hand. Make sure you have a working snow shovel and know where your circuit breakers are located.