How to Quickly and Easily Winterize Your Home
As autumn winds down and colder weather blows in, it’s the right time to think about what needs to be disconnected or covered outside before winter arrives.
From faucets, fire pits, AC units to patio furniture, winterizing your backyard is an essential step that saves money by preventing hazards like burst pipes and broken equipment.
Today we are sharing what many homeowners overlook when winterizing their homes.
Disconnect Garden Hoses
During the hotter months, your garden hose is your best friend, helping you shower your flowers and vegetables. But it’s a different story during the cold season. If you leave the hose connected to a fixture, the trapped water will freeze and expand as it turns into ice.
The expanding ice can burst open the spigot or break the valves and joints. Water trapped in hoses can freeze in as less than 6 hours when exposed to freezing temps. Disconnect your garden hoses weeks before the ground freezes, drain the water and store the pipes in your garage.
Drain Outdoor Faucets
If ice forms in water supply pipes leading to outdoor faucets, the expanding ice can damage the lines that run back into your home. The freezing taps often cause the pipes inside your walls to rupture, causing a financial and home-repair nightmare. To protect your home, walk around to locate all exterior faucets and remove any attached hoses.
Next, turn off your water supply valve, typically located near the water meter in the basement. Then, head back outside, turn the faucet on full blast and let the residual water drain out. Once it trickles to a stop, tightly close the faucet. You can buy an insulation cover to place on your tap to protect it against the harsh weather.
Clean and Cover Patio Furniture
If your area is prone to precipitation during the winter, store patio furniture indoors to avoid uneven weathering and moisture damage. Unfortunately, heavier and larger pieces can be tough to move inside. If you opt to leave the patio sofas outdoors, cover them to protect against intense weather.
Clean the furniture to remove any stains that may become permanent, then remove and store fabric cushions in a shed or garage. After the furniture dries, dress them with the manufacturers’ covers, which you can buy online or at a local hardware store. These covers have drawstrings to keep them in place even in strong winds.
Cover Fire Pit
No doubt, a fire pit makes outdoor dinners cozier and creates the perfect atmosphere for outdoor entertaining. However, during the colder months, your fire pit will be on the receiving end of falling leaves, snow, and sleet. In addition, gas-powered fire pits are especially susceptible to moisture damage due to valves and internal electronic components.
Rust is also a significant threat if the firepit is exposed to moisture for months. For an in-ground fire pit, a solid metal snuffer can prevent water, leaves, and other debris from entering the firepit. Use a weather-resistant fabric cover to provide complete coverage of your above-ground firepit. Also, find a cover that can fit your permanent grill and generator.
Cover Your Air Conditioner
With winter creeping in, you may be wondering if your outdoor AC unit needs protection from the elements. Sure it does! If you live where winters are brutal, your AC unit will be vulnerable to pests, temperature fluctuations, leaves, dripping water, and falling ice.
First, never cover your AC in plastic and be aware of commercially available covers. Your unit needs to breathe while still being shielded from debris and the elements. Use a cover made of breathable material manufactured for your AC model, place plywood over the unit to protect it from snow and ice, and consider building a wood awning above it.
Wrap Tree Trunks to Avoid Frost Cracking
The harsh winter climate can cause severe damage to landscape plants. When trees have shed all leaves, the trunk can get exposed to sunlight, which heats it. And when the temps rapidly cool in the evening, the cells inside can freeze and burst, causing the bark to split. Wrapping thin-barked trees during the winter helps keep them cool and safe.
Use Kraft paper or white plastic tree guards to wrap trees in their first few winters until the bark hardens. Then, start wrapping an inch below soil level and up to the lowest branches. The wrapping will reflect the rays of the sun away, keeping the tree cool. While you’re at it, remember to surround valuable shrubs and trees with wire-mesh screening to prevent animals from browsing on the leaves.
Minimize Damage With Winter Preparation
Winter can be a time of rough winds, biting cold, and accumulating snow. If no steps are taken to winterize your outdoor equipment, your valuables and even your home could suffer expensive damage.
Take a little extra time to care for your outdoor systems and equipment before the first frost to keep everything pristine for spring’s return. As you bring your gardening tools indoors, don’t forget to cover your patio furniture, AC unit, fire pit, and grill. Also, wrap your vulnerable trees, and disconnect and drain your hoses and spigots.
These are easy to take care of yourself. For anything else repair or improvement-related, we’re here to help.
