Don’t Let Your Home Freeze To Death!

OK, that’s not a real problem, but with the weather forecast predicting temps in the 30°s and lower, you NEED to get out there and make sure the cold weather doesn’t create a disclosure issue for you down the line!

• Make sure your roof gutters aren’t blocked! No joke, folks; I remember when we had our new roof put on and the snazzy new gutters, I looked out the back window during a rain storm, nodded thoughtfully, went to the basement and found water. GRRRR!
• Turn the water off to your hosebibs or stick a $5 styrofoam insulator on them! Water expands when it freezes, and when your hosebib cracks open, it could be ice geysers in your yard. If you’re lucky, you’ll just have to replace the bib. $5 is cheap, friends.
• Use foil tape ($5/roll) to seal duct joints! This can make your heating system 10-20% more efficient, and did we mention the price?
• Clean heating registers and change the furnace filter! Same idea. If it’s harder to push hot air through the ducts, you’ll be creating a very warm space right around the furnace, and not so much wherever you happen to be. Less than $5!
• Put a carbon monoxide detector near the furnace! Let’s face it, CO makes you stupid; if you’ve got a gas or oil furnace and you think you don’t need one . . . !
• Check for drafts by putting a tissue near any suspect areas, then seal them! Why heat the outdoors?

And, while we’re on the health-and-safety bandwagon,

Get fresh batteries for your smoke detectors!