How to Prepare Your Wilmington Home for Winter

It’s time to prepare for winter, and that means buttoning up your home too. Whether you’re moving to a new home or staying put, Few Moves Moving Company has some advice on preparing your home for cold weather. And luckily, you can do most of these preps yourself!

Let’s get started…

Reverse your ceiling fans to keep in heat

If your ceiling fan has a reverse switch, use it to run the fan’s blades in a clockwise direction after you turn on your heat. Hot air rises, so the switch will push warmer air back down from the ceiling. This is especially helpful in rooms with high ceilings.

A few rooftop repairs can save you big $$$ in your Wilmington Home

Look for damaged, loose or missing shingles that may leak during winter’s storms. Check for breaks in the flashing around vent stacks and chimneys. A handyman can repair a few shingles; a roofer can handle a larger section.

Keep cold air out by sealing windows and doors

Do you see gaps between your house’s siding and its window or door frames? If you can fit a nickel into the space, reapply exterior caulk. Check the joints in window and door frames, too. Silicone caulk is best for exterior use. Add weather stripping around doors, too. If you can see daylight through the graps, then way too much cold air is blowing in.

Clean the gutters in your Wilmington home

It’s a gloppy job, but gutters full of leaves cause water to back up against your house and damage roofing, siding and wood trim. In winter, that could lead to leaks and ice dams.

Turn off exterior faucets

In a Wilmington cold snap, undrained water in pipes can freeze and burst. You can avoid this by disconnecting garden hoses and draining them. If your home is less than 10 to 15 years old, you may have frost-proof faucets. If it’s older, look for a shut-off valve inside your home, then drain the water that remains in faucets. If you need to drain your lawn sprinkler system, be sure to call in a professional to help.

Sweep the chimney in your Wilmington Home

Before you burn the Yule log, make sure your fireplace chimney is clean and in good repair. That will prevent chimney fires and prevent carbon monoxide from creeping into your home. Search for a sweep certified by the Chimney Safety Institute of America.

Tune up the heat before it gets cold

Avoid being last in line when your furnace or heat pump heads south on Wilmington’s coldest day of the year. A technician will inspect and clean the system and measure any carbon-monoxide leakage, and an annual exam will catch many little issues before they become large, freezing problems. Look for an HVAC contractor that belongs to the Air Conditioning Contractors of America.

Mulch leaves when you mow to nourish your lawn

Mow your leaves instead of raking them. They will decompose over the winter, nourishing your lawn. Shoot for a mulch about the size of a dime which can easily decompose. The process may take several passes, but swapping the cutting blade for a mulching blade helps a lot.

Stow your mower

Run your mower’s engine out of fuel for the winter and you’ll thank yourself next spring. Some mowers will do fine with fuel stabilizer added, but check your mower’s manual to see if this is recommended.

Wait to prune your trees until late Winter

Wait to prune trees and shrubs until late winter, just before spring growth begins. The exception is flowering trees and shrubs, which are pruned immediately after blooming. (Pruning now will cut off next year’s flowers.) Consult master gardeners at the New Hanover County Cooperative Extension for advice on particular plants.

Call Few Moves for your packing, moving, delivery and storing needs this Winter and all year long

When you hire Few Moves Moving Company, muscles aren’t the only thing you hire. You are hiring experience, intelligence, and dedication to taking care of your valuable possessions. Give Few Moves Moving Company a call today or request a FREE MOVING QUOTE. We are the only team that’s right for taking care of your valuable belongings in a move, whether it’s across town or across the country.