The Summer sun has faded and the year grows old and darker days are drawing near.
That is a line from a favourite song of mine and it is surprisingly apt. It is early November and the nights are drawing in and getting decidedly chillier.
Before winter takes hold in its frosty fingers, here are a couple of things you might want to do to get your home prepared for the colder season.
Check the Guttering.
Making sure all those Autumn leaves and old birds nests are cleared out and there is no foliage or moss that could potentially block the down pipe. If the water can’t escape properly, it could overflow into the roof space or down the exterior walls and cause damage.
Sweep the chimney.
This ensures that the smoke and gasses from the coal fire escape properly into the atmosphere and not into your living room with potentially lethal consequences. Also this will ensure there is virtually no risk of a flue or chimney fire. (For detailed information on cleaning the chimney, check out a previous blog here.)
Have the Boiler Checked. This is something you want to do now rather than later, it is no fun trying to do without heating in 0°C weather and it will also ensure you are not having any issues with carbon monoxide leakage. Having heat and hot water when the thermometer bottoms out will also ensure your pipes won’t freeze, which brings me to.
Check the insulation on your pipes, and while you are at it, check the insulation in the loft too. With over 25% of your heat is lost through the roof, having good loft insulation is a must if you want to keep warm this winter and save some pennies on the energy bills as well. Checking the pipe insulation for holes or general deterioration will ensure your pipes don’t freeze up if it gets really cold.
If you have a wood burning stove, give it a really good clean to ensure there is no creosote build up and the exhaust pipe is clear of tar, give the front glass a really good clean too as this will aid in the distribution of the heat more efficiently.
Check your insurance coverage. Check out your home insurance policy to make sure you have adequate cover for winter related damages. The last thing you want or need is to have something unfortunate happen only to find you are not covered for it. Home repairs are costly, especially if it structural so don’t skimp on the cover.
Hopefully, these few hints and tips will go some way to helping you stay warm and toasty and give you peace of mind this winter.
The tips are very informative, explained each and everything, Energy efficiency is the key to achieving a warm home.