Taking on some basic home maintenance or repairs before the cold weather sets in can negate the need for more serious remedial work when temperatures thaw. Make sure your home is ready for winter with these handy hints
Unusually chilly temperatures makes it all the more important to ensure our homes are ready for winter. But it needn’t be an expensive or difficult job.
Follow our guide to your essential winter maintenance tasks, for a warm and comfortable season.
• Lag Pipes to Reduce Heat Loss Over Winter
Lagging your pipes, particularly plastic pipes, will help to reduce heat loss from your system and prevent them getting too cold and bursting. Buy foam insulation tubes and slip them over the pipes.
• Get Your Chimney Swept
Ideally, this is a task that’s best done before the winter starts, as harsh cold weather can result in serious damage to thechimney mansory.
• Check Gutters, Downpipes and Gullies
Look for leaves, moss and other debris and clear them to prevent blockages in heavy rain and snow. You’ll need to replace any gutters that are cracked or damaged.
• Get Your Boiler Serviced
18% of homeowners believe that servicing is unnecessary until a boiler breaks down. But ideally, your boiler should be serviced annually to make sure that it’s still safe to use and works efficiently.
• Top Up Your Oil/LPG Tank
If you are livinგ off mains, this is essential and you’ll avoid the problem of running out of oil if you get snowed in for days or weeks. If you can, avoid buying oil in the coldest months, when increased demand will push up prices; set a date in your calendar for the summer, or any unseasonably warm spell, when suppliers generally sell oil at lower prices to reduce their surplus. Remember, you can store oil for up to two years.
• Insulate Your Loft Space
If you haven’t already insulate this space or you have poorly performing insulation that has slumped over time, tackling this project will pay quickly pay dividends over the colder months.
• Replace Slipped Roof Tiles/Slates
Making roof repairs will prevent leaks that can cause deterioration to the structure.
• Check Outdoor Lights are Clean and in Working Order
Give the lighting a good cleaning (shutting off the power to the unit first). Check that the bulbs are still working, and if they are not, swap over to an LED light. If your solar lights are covered with snow or winter debris, you’ll need to remove this to allow them to operate properly.
• Fix Broken Gates and Fences
This will prevent any further damage during freezing winter conditions and helping to secure your property against burglaries (while keeping pets safely within the garden).
• Draughtproof Windows and Doors
The charity estimates that a good draught-proofing job for the whole house for materials and professional insulation.
• Avoid Loft Conversions and Roofing Projects
Many try to retrofit their attics during the winter, and while it can be protected from rain, it is very difficult to protect workers from losing heat.
