Here are a few more helpful hints (part 2) on preparing your home for the LOOOONG Pacific Northwest winter months. Not only will these tips help your home stay looking fresh, they will actually prolong heating/cooling system lives, saving you LOTS of money!!
1: Insulate all your exterior water pipes. Remember as our rainy/windy weather starts in for the next few months, we also get several spurts of really cold freezing temperatures here in Bellingham Wa (even more in Whatcom County). It is imperative to wrap all your exposed water pipes with foam insulation (that you can find at any home improvement center in Bellingham, Ferndale or Lynden) to keep from water freezing and bursting when they thaw out! A huge costly mess that can be easily prevented for a very moderate price.
2: Keep all foundation vents blocked. Remember to keep all foundation vents unblocked year round, EXCEPT during freezing weather, to provide adequate ventilation especially in the winter months when it is most damp. (measure & purchase correct size vent plugs BEFORE frezeing weather arrives). Once spring arrives and we are done with freezing temps, remove the vent blocks so your crawl space can ventilate freash air.
3: Remember to have your wood burning fireplace and your chimney cleaned before fall arrives. Soot and creosote buildup can lead to flue fires which often cause house fires.
4: Furnaces should be serviced in Fall. Gas/propane furnaces shoul be serviced on an annual basis. Replace/clean filters. Have heat registers professionally cleaned (or vacuum out as far back as possible) to cut down on dust or other impurities in the air. This is one step that will keep your furnace running precisely and prolong its life.
Hopefully these tips will help you keep your home winter proof, which will save you money during the colder weather of our Pacific Northwest Fall/Winter season. I will follow up with another set of cold weather tips soon, so keep checking in.
If you are using these tips to prepare your home for the winter home sale market in Bellingham, Lynden, Ferndale and Whatcom County in general, I am happy to send additional tips for preparing your home for sale with my “Ultimate Guide to Selling Your Home” PDF.
Please call/text/email with any questions!
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