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| Any maintenace tips for getting the house ready for winter? http://www.propertymaps.com/village/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=88 |
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| Author: | sara_pyun [ Sat Sep 08, 2007 9:41 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Any maintenace tips for getting the house ready for winter? |
Winter is coming soon and I want to prepare my house for the cold winter months. Is there anything I can do now to prevent any costly damage? So far I've had my heating system checked by a professional to make sure its working at its peek performance and had the air filter replaced. Is there anything else I need to do? |
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| Author: | MikeCurtiss [ Tue Feb 12, 2008 5:31 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Any maintenace tips for getting the house ready for winter? |
Here are eight tips from Comfort Institute on what to look for and take care of to make sure your home is ready for those cold north winds. (http://www.comfortinstitute.org) 1. Have your duct system tested for air leaks. Many think that windows and doors are the major cause of a home's air leaks. But according to recent research by the Department of Energy (DOE), gaps, cracks and disconnections in the typical home's duct system are much more significant. The DOE states that the typical duct system loses 25% to 40% of the energy put out by the central furnace, heat pump or air conditioner. Leaks are usually the biggest problem. 2. Close any crawlspace vents. If your home or any part of it are over a crawlspace, make sure the vents are closed for the winter. They should only be open for spring and fall. Recent research finds that in most climates, leaving them open in the summer actually brings in more unwanted moisture! Many building scientists are now recommending drying out crawlspaces, covering the exposed soil with a sealed plastic vapor barrier, and sealing and insulating the crawlspace walls permanently. 3. Ask your heating contractor to perform an Infiltrometer "blower door" test. The blower door is a computerized instrument originally invented by the Department of Energy. It pinpoints where your home's worst air leaks are, and also measures a home's overall leakiness. While most homes are still far too leaky, some are too airtight, and need mechanical ventilation to ensure the air inside is fresh. For more information, click here: http://www.comfortinstitute.org/whole-h ... eckup.html 4. Replace your furnace or heat pump air filter. Most systems need this done every month to ensure safe and efficient operation. (Some systems, such as electronic air cleaners, need to be thoroughly washed.) Consider upgrading your system's air filter. The standard filter is there to help protect the equipment, not to clean the air in your home. Ask your heating contractor for information on new high efficiency air filters that can capture over 90% of the breathable particles of concern. 5. Have your heating system cleaned and tuned by a qualified contractor. A pre-season tune up is a good investment. It reduces the chances of breakdowns in the middle of winter, and more than pays for itself through more energy efficient operation. 6. Have your system checked for carbon monoxide and install a CO alarm. When performing a furnace tune up, a good contractor will also offer to test your system for hazardous carbon monoxide (CO). CO can be produced by a dirty or malfunctioning gas or oil furnace or water heater. Every home should have at least one CO alarm. They are available from most heating contractors, as well as many retail outlets. 7. Adjust your thermostat to a cooler temperature when away or when sleeping. Why heat your house when no-one's at home or everyone's under the blankets? Even just a five degree setback each night can save up to 10% on your heating bill. Save even more by setting back during the day when no-one's home. Even though the system will run a while to warm the house up, you still save money. If it's too much bother, ask your contractor to install a new programmable automatic thermostat. The new ones are reliable and very easy to use. 8. Consider replacing your old furnace or heat pump. Just like a car, heating equipment doesn't last forever. If your system is over 12 years old and you are planning to stay in your home more than a few years, many authorities recommend considering replacing it before it fails permanently. A new system is safer, more dependable, and can pay for itself by being up to twice as energy efficient. |
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| Author: | falvo [ Mon Dec 15, 2008 1:05 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Any maintenace tips for getting the house ready for winter? |
These are all nice tips, but they actually are about the heating system, and not the house. For winter, I do a few things you might want to try. First, check the doors and windows. Are the seals really sealing out any outside drafts? I check with a candle. Using a rather short taper in a holder, I wait for a breezy day and hold the flame near both the windows and the outside of the window trim. Simple gaskets are available to fix any leaks at the windows. The window trim will have gaps between the window and wall framing if the flame wavers on that check. That means removing the trim and sealing the leaks. You can either use the “spray foam crack sealer” or actually stuff insulation material in the gaps with a thin tool. I prefer the foam, as it is permanent and will not let vapor get through. Do the same checks on the doors. Gaskets will fix any leaks around the door. Adjusting the threshold plate on the inside of the door will close any gap there. You should hear the door close as the gasket on the bottom of the door slides across the threshold. The other thing I do is make VERY sure there are no gaps into the wall or ceiling insulation. Light switches, wall outlets, ceiling fixtures; are all potential leaks for air to get into the walls or ceilings from the inside. Why is this important? Air in your home is moist, both from cooking, washing and simply breathing. If it is cold out, the siding of your house is cold. Should that warm, moist air hit the siding through a leak, there will be condensation. Your insulation will get damp. And that completely makes your insulation useless. The more your insulation gets damp, the more it will feel like you have none. Run your hands over the walls, all the way to the baseboard. If you can feel cold on the interior walls, your house has an insulation problem. Likely, there is damp air causing that problem. |
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| Author: | homes [ Fri Jun 19, 2009 8:33 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Any maintenace tips for getting the house ready for winter? |
I live in a house that is approximately 150 years old in Northwest PA. Over the years a fuel furnace was put into the main house. The house had a couple rooms added without heat ducts going to these rooms. ______________________ Tommy Bahama Pillow |
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