DIY to HOME MAINTENANCE - Preparing for Winter

Even if you don’t think of yourself as handy, you can take care of a surprising number of tasks – weather stripping your windows and doors, caulking leaks, and insulating water pipes. It just takes a little time educating yourself on all the “how-to” and a little elbow grease and you’ll save thousands on preventive maintenance before it becomes a dire problem.

Yet, many homeowners fail to do any preventive maintenance which always leads to the high cost of repair bills later. Here are a few DIY items that will not only preserve your home but save you money;

Weather Proofing

If your home isn’t weather tight, it can leak as much as a month’s worth of heated or cooled air in a year. Check for leaks, especially around windows and doors. Weather stripping and insulated windows is the key to energy efficiency.

Weather stripping will seal the leaks around exterior doors and windows. It is found in nearly all houses. Older weather stripping is typically made of felt or aluminum, and if it is more than twenty-five years old, it needs to be replaced.

Insulating Your Windows

Tight well insulated windows are extremely important. There are many energy efficient options available:

Storm Windows – this type of window raises the insulating value of a single glazed window (one layer of glass) to 80 to 100 percent. As window insulating values rise, the need for storm windows decreases.

Double Glazed – In this type, two panes of window glass sandwich an air pocket, doubling the insulating value of a single glazed window.

Triple Glazed – Three panes of glass sandwich two air pockets, which increases the insulating value by 60 percent over double glazed windows and there is an 80 percent less heat transfer through windows to rooms. Triple glazed windows also have an added condensation protection providing better humidity in your home. Triple glazed windows cost more, but they also reduce sound transmission.

Plumbing

The most common plumbing problems result from careless housekeeping. Even the newest systems need to be treated kindly. Follow these important pointers to avoid clogs and overflows;

Plumbing Do’s

Know the location of your cutoff valves before an emergency occurs

Protect drains with hair strainers or clean periodically with a bent coat hanger or long screw driver Keep drains clear of food

Caulking Leaks

Many types of caulk are produced in a variety of colors. If you cannot find the right color, use a transparent formula. Silicone caulks are recommended, although less expensive butyl and acrylic types also work well.

Plumbing Don’ts

Pour liquid fat or grease, which coagulates and clogs, down a kitchen drain. Let it solidify and dispose of it with the garbage

Send anything but food scraps down an automatic food disposer

Flush anything down the toilet except bathroom tissue and waste

Part of becoming a homeowner is performing proper maintenance. It helps you to preserve your home and avoid the high cost of repairs down the road.