Kelowna Real Estate Blog | Kelowna Real Estate News & Information

Seasonal Shut Down If you are shutting down a property for several months you should always shut off the water supply and drain the plumbing system.

• Insulate Exposed Piping If you have exposed water or drain piping in uninsulated spaces such as in a crawlspace, attic, outside walls; ideally you should wrap them with electrical heating tape, then insulate them.
• Exterior Faucets The exterior faucets need to have its water supply turned off inside the house, and you also need to drain water from it by opening up the exterior faucet.
• Remember to disconnect your garden hoses from the faucets to prevent the faucets from freezing and leaking.

Roof

• Check roof for missing or damaged shingles and have them replaced.
• Check flashing around chimneys and other roof projections which are often the source of leaks.
• Make sure gutters and downspouts are clean. Wet leaves remaining in the gutters over winter add significant weight when frozen and increase the risk of damage.

Seasonal Furnace Maintenance. Have the furnace checked and serviced by a service technician.

• Replace the Air Filter: Put in a new clean air filter.
• Heating Vents: Clear obstacles to heating vents so air can freely flow.
• Check for Carbon Monoxide Leaks: This silent killer can easily be detected with carbon monoxide detector.

Windows Infiltration of cold air from air leaks around doors and windows is as significant a contributor to your heating bill as is poor insulation in the walls and ceiling. An easy way to reduce you heating bill is to reduce these drafts with simple weatherstripping repair or installation. Doors The easiest fix here is to check for weatherstripping on the side and bottoms of the doors. Install or repair weatherstripping on any leaking doors. Insulating Tips

• Insulate your hot water tank with an insulating blanket you can buy at the hardware store.
• Insulate exterior outlets and switch plates with inexpensive foam sealing gasket.
• If you don’t use your fireplace often and it leaks air, you can cut a piece of fiberglass insulation and stuff it into the fireplace to block the cold air coming down the chimney. Of course you remove this when you make a fire.

Chimney and Fireplace

• Check that the chimney is clear of any nests from birds, squirrels or other animals.
• Check flue damper operation. Make sure it opens and closes fully.
• Check chimney draft. Make sure the chimney will draw up the fire and smoke properly. Test this by taking several sheets of newspaper and rolling them up. Then with the fireplace damper in the open position, light the newspaper in the fireplace. The smoke should rise up the chimney. If it doesn’t, you have an obstruction and need to call a professional in to clean the chimney of creosote, ash and possible debris.
• If it has been several years (or never!) since you had your fireplace chimney cleaned, you should have it done by a professional chimney sweep.
• Inspect the fire brick in the fireplace. If you see any open mortar joints have them repaired immediately! A fire can spread into the stud wall behind the masonry fire brick through open mortar joints.

Click on the link below for an excellent short home winterizing you tube video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0xfow166Q4

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