As we enter the chillier season, many homeowners start preparing for winter home maintenance needs and projects. After all, winter is one of the seasons where we spend the most time at home, and all our systems need to be fully operational to keep our loved ones safe and healthy!
When planning for winter, it’s important to keep your whole home in mind. You’ll rely on more than just your heating system to keep you warm and cozy at home! The Worley’s team has some tips for your maintenance checklist from their years of experience caring for homes in the Chesapeake, Virginia area. Let us help you get your home ready for winter!
1. Replace Air Filters Regularly
Are you consistent about replacing air filters in your home HVAC every 30-60 days? It’s important to stay on top of this simple home maintenance task to keep your house’s indoor air quality high, especially when you spend so much time indoors during the winter season.
2. Upgrade Your Water Heater
Water heater not functioning as well as it used to? A failing water heating might not seem like such a big deal in the summer, but in the chill of winter, you’ll want nice warm showers back! A hot water heater also gives you hot water for your washing machine, dishwasher, and more. A well-maintained water heater should last around 15 years!
If your water heater is acting up, the 15-year timeframe can help you determine whether you should call Worley’s for maintenance, repair, or replacement. Five years old or less means you’ll likely only need maintenance to keep your system operating for as long as possible. Continue scheduling maintenance visits throughout the life of your system to keep it in good shape! This can help cut down on repair and costly emergency service visits as well. Once a water heater is 12 years old, or older, continue on with maintenance and start planning for water heater replacement.
3. Seal Gaps in Your Home Before True Cold Sets in
Dealing with a drafty home? In addition to being uncomfortable, a drafty house is expensive! Drafts are a result of small gaps or air leaks throughout your home. These spots give outside air, temperatures, and even pests a free pass into your home!
Air sealing is the process of locating and filling these gaps to ensure that your HVAC doesn’t have to work harder than it should to maintain your preferred home temperature settings.
4. Check Your Attic Insulation
Attic insulation is more important to the comfort and energy efficiency of a home than most homeowners realize, and right before winter is a great time to add or replace your current attic insulation! Attic insulation traps your heat in your home’s living spaces where it belongs. As an added bonus, it keeps excessive summer temperatures out by preventing heat infiltration from the sun’s rays hitting your roof.
Because of how little time we tend to spend in our attics, it can be easy to miss signs of damage or wear on your attic insulation. Worley’s professional home performance technicians are specially trained to assess the quality and effectiveness of your existing insulation, and determine if and where you need more.
5. Add Some Extra Padding
We don’t mean to your waistline—although that’s okay too! We mean your home’s basement or crawl space insulation. If you’ve got uneven temperatures in your home, cold floors, or are dealing with persistent allergy, asthma, or mold exposure symptoms, adding insulation to your basement and crawl space can make a big difference. Worley’s offers crawl space insulation & encapsulation to help keep your home healthy and comfortable this winter season.
Whatever Your Home Needs, Worley’s Has You Covered!
Winter can be full of surprises. Don’t let a heating system emergency breakdown ruin your holiday fun! Waking up to find that your heating system isn’t working can be stressful, costly, and even dangerous in extreme temperatures.
Many emergencies are preventable with help from Worley’s! Whether you need heating repair & maintenance, plumbing services, electrical, and more—Worley’s has you covered!
