Priscilla Toomey: Get Your Home Ready for a Cold Winter
By Priscilla R. Toomey, Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker, Julia B. Fee/Sotheby's International Realty
Oct. 26, 2016: We have heard predictions that this winter will be a more severe one than the relatively mild 2015-2016 winter. Is your house ready? A freeze-up can mean burst pipes, water everywhere, mold, and an expensive clean-up. Here are some reminders to prevent that:
*Have any dead tree limbs and branches that might fall on cars, trees, or people cut back before the cold weather hits.
*Check that the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon dioxide detectors are current. The more you seal your house for winter, the more you may want to test the radon level at your lowest livable level, as well. Kits are available at hardware stores.
*Your central air/heating system will work more efficiently with new filters.
*Shut off outside water to keep pipes from freezing and bursting. Also, make sure water can flow through your gutters so you don't get ice dams, which will cause leaks. Shut off and drain your sprinkler system, too.
*Your water heater may have collected sediment over the past several months, so flushing it is a good idea to get it to work most efficiently.
*Ceiling fans rotating clockwise will help the warm air, which naturally rises, to circulate throughout the room, so reverse them if they have been rotating counterclockwise to help cool the room in the warmer weather.
*If you aren't using your fireplace, you may want to invest in a chimney balloon to keep warm air from leaking out.
*Invest in a programmable thermostat to lower the temperature automatically when you leave the house and raise it when you return to save on your heating bill.
*Insulate your attic floor if it isn't already insulated and use draft guards at doors to prevent heat from escaping.
*Invest in an energy audit for specific tips to help you protect your home and save energy and money this winter.
Pictured here: Priscilla Toomey, licensed associate real estate broker, JD, ABR, Top5, certified EcoBroker, SRES with Julia B. Fee/Sotheby's International Realty, 2 Park Place, Bronxville, NY 10708; cell, 914-559-8084; email,
Photo courtesy Julia B. Fee/Sotheby's International Realty
