Winterizing your home is important because by doing so you are protecting your greatest asset. There are many items to winterize before a deep freeze: you should clear out rain gutters, flush outside hoses, finish any paint touch ups, do a landfill run if necessary, and so much more. Again: this is all about making sure your home survives the extreme cold. Especially in a country like Canada, where such extreme weather is experienced, winterizing is key.
One major winterizing task people are quick to forget about is their outside doors. While it may seem simple enough—they close, they lock, you move on—these are crucial to prepare for winter.
First, you want to make sure that your door closes easily and the hinges are well greased. Stiff doors in the summertime can become an even bigger problem come winter when temperatures drop. You do not want to be fighting with a sticky door when it’s negative thirty-five. This is also a safety issue: you need to make sure your doors close firmly and lock, to avoid them popping open when you’re not around and letting someone in.
Second, run your hand along the frame. Do you feel a significant draft? If the answer is yes, you need to fix this. A cold draft coming through a door will quickly eat away at your utility bill, adding hundreds of dollars in costs as your home is not properly sealed against the elements. There are a number of solutions: you could replace the door, add some weather-stripping, or make a draft block.
Keep warm this winter, Calgary! It’s going to be a cold one.
Posted by Ken Richter on
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