Preparing Your Home For Winter

The last days of October bring a cool reminder of what is just a head, so here are a few tips to prepare for the sting of winter.

Last winter was mild in comparison to the previous winter of 2014-15 with bitter cold temperatures for weeks.

This winter is expected to be typical with more snow than we had last year, and we'll have our share of cold temperatures.

Make sure you're ready when the cold winter gets here, check out these tips to help prepare you for the cold weather months ahead.

Checking Your Heating System. The core of your home during winter is your heating system, make sure that it is working and in good shape, if you haven't had it serviced in a while it might be a good idea to call a trained service person for a tune up.

Home Spot Checks: Making sure your home is well sealed will help you save money in hearting costs, so its a good idea to go around,your house and look at your windows to make sure they are sealed, silicone caulk will help keep the heat in and the cold air out, if you have a latter or a pair of binoculars, look at your roof to make sure there are no missing, loose or damaged shingles, and check out your gutters to make sure they are free of leaves and debris.

Garden Hoses and Outside Faucets: Make sure your hoses and any outside faucets are drained.

Winterize Your Lawn Mowers: make sure any unused gas is drained or apply fuel stabilizer to preserve your engine, making sure that you put some stabilized gas in your tank and run it for a few minutes with the stabilizer circulating through your mower engine.

Check Fireplace; make sure your chimney is clean and in good shape, its always a good idea to have a certified chimney inspector take a look at your set up, it could save your life.

Winter Essentials: Make sure you have ice melt, shovels, ice scrapers, including the one you need in your car, start your snow blower and make sure its running and in good shape for the winter.

Don't wait for the actual cold and snow to get here because its coming soon and you want to be prepared now.

Here's to a safe and warm home for the winter months ahead.