Everyone who lives in a climate where winters get cold has probably heard of winterizing, or the act of preparing a home so it’s protected against extreme temperatures. Winterizing can be done in many different ways, some more intensive than others. Fortunately, busy Conventry Hills homeowners don’t have to spend a lot of time winterizing their home each year. There is a number of different easy ways homeowners can prepare their home for the winter that don’t require very much effort or time. Here are some examples of those winterizing strategies.

1. Run Ceiling Fans in Reverse

When using a ceiling fan normally in the summertime, they force the air in the room to circulate, cooling it down. However, most ceiling fans now have a switch on them that will reverse the direction the fan’s blades turn, which forces warm air that naturally rises to the ceiling back down to warm the room. Running a ceiling fan during the winter can be a good way to warm a room without turning the thermostat up and relying on that as the primary way of warming a room.

2. Block Drafts From Doors

It’s incredibly common for drafts to get into homes through the cracks beneath doors. Normally, doors have weather stripping to help prevent this from happening, but weather stripping is only made from rubber and will rot over time when exposed to moisture. If a homeowner notices the weather stripping on their door is rotting or falling off, they should definitely try to replace it as soon as they can. However, sometimes cold air will get into homes regardless of the weather stripping’s condition, and in that case, homeowners can simply use a door snake to block drafts. While it may need to be adjusted every time the door is opened and closed, it’s an easy solution to a problem that can be detrimental to heating a home efficiently.

3. Change the Furnace Filter

Changing a furnace’s filter is part of normal home maintenance as well as part of winterizing. The furnace filter should be changed approximately every one to three months depending on the type of filter needed. It’s a good idea to change the filter before winter arrives because doing so helps the furnace continue running smoothly and improves its efficiency, so homeowners are less likely to experience their furnace breaking when it’s zero degrees outside.

4. Protect Water Pipes

If water is allowed to freeze in pipes, it can lead to the pipes bursting due to the expansion of the water as it turns into ice. To prevent this from happening, there are a few strategies homeowners can employ. These are three of them:

• Open cupboard doors surrounding pipes under sinks to allow warm air to flow inside and warm the pipes. 
• Let sinks trickle throughout the season so the water doesn’t stand still in the pipes, reducing the chances of freezing.
• Insulate pipes with a sheet of foam or something similar so they aren’t directly exposed to the cold.

Using one or more of these strategies can help reduce the chances of pipes bursting due to the extreme Canadian cold. 

Winterizing a home is an important part of maintenance that all homeowners should be preforming each year. Doing the things listed here can help homeowners protect their home and save money on heating.