Winter is tough. We’ve all get coughs, cold and other bugs and spend time trying to find ways to look after ourselves so that these bugs can’t ruin the coming holidays. But, winter can be tough on our homes too. Pipes freeze and burst, cold air leads to damp and mold and gutters can quickly become clogged. Imagine waking up one morning only to find you’ve got no heating or hot water because winter has taken its toll on your home. The best thing to do is start making preparations and thinking of ways to look after your house now. Before it gets too cold.
Make Sure You Know Who to Call
While it would be great to think that you could make a few changes and your home would be fine, this often isn’t the case. Then, you can easily find yourself with no power, no heat or even a hole in your roof and absolutely no idea what to do about it. Not dealing with an issue straight away can lead to further problems, make your home uncomfortable and end up costing you more in the long run. So, make sure you’ve got a number for an emergency plumber and that you know who provides all of the utilities, insurance and warranties.
Insulation
Many new homes are built fully insulated. But, older homes are often lacking. When you move into an older home, you can often find that without the heating on, it’s not much warmer than outside. Or, that even when the heating is on, it all seems to pass straight out through the walls and ceilings and that your home is unable to retain any heat. This can make you cold and uncomfortable while also costing you a lot more in heating.
Not having the correct insulation around your pipes can also lead to them freezing in cold weather. If left frozen pipes can quickly burst, causing flooding and further damage.
So, don’t make the mistake of assuming your home is well insulated. Check. Loft and cavity wall insulation can be expensive, but over your lifetime they’ll save you a fortune in heating costs. On the other hand, you could place lagging around your pipes easily yourself without spending too much.
Clean the Guttering
People neglect their guttering, not realizing what a big problem blocked guttering can cause. Over autumn, as the leaves fall it’s only normal for guttering to get dirty. Then, when the weather turns colder and it starts to rain more these areas can overflow. Water can become trapped between your guttering and your roof or brickwork. This water freezes and expands, causing more significant damage to your home. Cleaning your guttering out is a relatively easy way to prevent this damage.
Have the Boiler Serviced
You should have your boiler serviced every year. Even if it’s new or working well. This can keep you safe and reduce the risks of anything going wrong. There’s nothing worse than waking up on a cold winter morning to find yourself without heat.
Older homes can be greatly affected by the cold. So, as well as protecting them where you can, do your best to keep the cold out by keeping doors and windows closed and installing thick, lined curtains and draught excluders.
Disclosure: This is a contributed post.