When winter is coming hibernation mode sets in. Make sure your home is ready for the coldest months of the year so you can sit back and enjoy some much deserved rest.
Swap Out Screens for Storm Windows
Screens are great in the summertime but in the winter they do nothing to protect your house against the elements. Properly fit storm windows keep the snow out and help in keeping heat in.
Tune Up Your Furnace
The heating furnace is the core to heating and maintaining temperature in most new England homes. Ensuring that it is properly maintained can go a long way to preventing costly repairs and leaving you out in the cold.
Have Your Chimneys Professionally Cleaned
Chimney fires from creosote are indeed a true threat to homeowners. To keep you and your family safe we recommend having your chimney professionally cleaned at least once a year.
Unhook and Drain All Hoses
The days of watering your garden have long past with the transition of Fall to Winter. In order to keep hoses and nozzles from needing to be replaced yearly, completely drain them and store them out of the elements. Remember to shutoff and bleed spigots attached to your home.
Get a Delivery of Fuel
The best time to get a delivery of fuel be it heating oil, propane, wood or pellets is when you don’t need it. Don’t go through the discomfort of having to deal with the first arctic blast on an empty tank.
Tune Up Your Snow Blower & Generator
With snowpocalypse knocking on the door be sure that if power is lost your generator that you haven’t used in over a year has a charged battery, a full tank of gas and is properly oiled. With both snow blowers and generators it is better to discover issues before you actually need to use them.
Insulate Your Pipes
Frozen pipes have a tendency to burst. Protect your home and business by insulating not just your hot water but also your cold water pipes.
Weatherstrip Door/Window Gaps
Keep Jack Frost outside by filling gaps in windows and doors. Drafts in openings in the home lead to massive loss in heating efficiency and end up costing you quite a bit.
Check Your Attic
Close your windows that you opened for ventilation over the summer and set traps for pests such as mice that would like to take up residency in your home over the winter. Now is a good time to evaluate your insulation and amend any issues that have arisen in the last year.
Protect Your Gardens
Burlap sacks do wonders to protect your prized rose bushes. Winter is also a good time to do any heavy pruning needed on trees and shrubs.
Cover/Store Your Outdoor Furniture and Grill
Protect your prized weber grill and patio furniture from the freezing elements so that you can enjoy them next year and many years to come. Suffield Hardware carries an extensive line of tarps and grill covers to protect your investments.
Winterize Your Summer Power Equipment
Unless you have a plow or snow blower attachment you probably won’t be utilizing your lawnmower, weed wacker or hand tools. Power equipment should be winterized using stabilizer and proper engine additives to protect internal components. Hand tools should be hung up in the shed or garage until it warms up in a few months.
