The question of the season, “are you ready for winter?” is easier to answer when you have a game plan for preparing your home for winter. With that in mind, we put together a guide to winterizing your HVAC system, your plumbing, and special notes for preparing a mobile home for winter.
How to Winterize Your HVAC System
To prepare for winter, you first want to ensure your home will stay cozy. Because this is the job of your HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system, you should give your system some TLC before winter starts. These are some tips on how to winterize your central air conditioner and heater.
- Get a new HVAC filter. Beyond improving the air purity and limiting allergies through the winter, replacing your filter also allows the HVAC system to avoid staining as it distributes warmed air through your home.
- Schedule an annual HVAC tune-up. Having your system inspected and cleaned is a good start to winterizing your HVAC system and ensuring it runs smoothly through the season. Regular care also extends the lifespan and minimizes the need for repair.
- Clean your gutters. By cleaning out the leaves and dirt from your gutters, you prevent damage to your eaves and roof from ice backing up through the winter.
- Prepare your outdoor AC unit. Clean the space around the unit, remove leaves and twigs, wipe down vents, and cover exposed pipes with foam.
- Ensure your ducts are insulated. Significant heat can be lost as the air passes through your ductwork. Insulating your ducts, along with scheduling regular inspections and cleaning, can maximize your energy savings.
How to Winterize Your Home Plumbing
While your heater keeps you warm through winter, your plumbing system also needs special care. Protecting your plumbing prevents your pipes from breaking and damaging your home extensively with water damage. This is particularly important if you leave your home for the winter. Here is a walk-through you can use to winterize your home water pipes.
- Drain the water. After closing the main water valve, you can release the drain valves on each tap and allow the water to drain out.
- Blow water from the pipes. Some water will linger in bends in the piping. With an air compressor, you can blow the excess water free.
- Empty the hot water tank. Opening the drain valve will allow the water to clear. Keep in mind that some tanks need to attach a hose to get rid of the water.
- Keep the house warm. Even if you are not staying there, keeping your thermostat around 55 degrees Fahrenheit keeps your plumbing warm enough to not freeze.
- Protect your pipes with insulation or heat tape. Insulating your pipes is another measure of protection.
Related Content: What It Means When Your Heater Blows Cold Air
How to Winterize a Mobile Home
Preparing a mobile home for winter includes a few unique tasks. While getting the HVAC and plumbing ready is still important, if you have a manufactured home, you will also want to include these items on your to-do list.
- Inspect the underbelly for damage to prevent heat loss and ground moisture from seeping into your home, causing water damage. The sheet enclosing the bottom of your mobile home also keeps rodents from nesting in the house. If the underbelly is damaged or missing, the blanket of insulation under your house will also be damaged or missing. Replacing both items, if they’re damaged, makes sure your home stays cozy through winter.
- Use skirting to protect your manufactured home from leaking warm air from the gaps around the base and to prevent snow and ice buildup under the house.
- Reinforce the marriage line’s insulation to prevent heat loss. The silicone line linking two units into a double-wide is originally insulated against the weather. However, regular wear or being moved can damage the line, allowing air to creep through. To keep your home cozy, ensure there is plenty of insulation.
Professional Assistance with Southern Home Winterization
By making the effort to winterize your home, you can save on significant energy costs and expensive repairs. At Yellow Dot Heating and Air Conditioning, our certified technicians in Raleigh can help you with HVAC tune-ups and repairs. Our professional plumbers also offer expert plumbing services you can trust. To get started, call 919-925-4235[A5] or request service online.