Autumn a good time to winterize your home

Amid the festive fall fun of pumpkin patches, football and harvest, it is easy to neglect the looming threat of winter.

But if Wichita is frozen and your pipes burst, your family is unlikely to tell you to “let it go.” A hardware store handyman says taking a few simple steps to prepare your home now could save you a lot of grief come January, as well as help cut down on energy costs.

Dick Olberding is the assistant manager at Williams Ace Hardware near Central and Woodlawn. He is a big believer in preventive maintenance. As he walks the aisles of the store, he points out several items, most under $10, that could give homeowners some peace of mind as they buckle down for colder weather.

“Just spend a few dollars,” he says. “It’s easier to do it in the fall than wait for the cold of winter.”

Doors

Weather stripping is one of Olberding’s most important recommendations. Check all your exterior doors. Rubber seals tend to fail over time, resulting in loose-fitting doors. Pay special attention to the door from the house to the garage, and consider a removable door bottom there, Olberding said.

Windows

After checking doors, grab a tube of caulk and give your windows a once-over. Any leaks and gaps should be fairly evident.

“It’s simple, but you could cut down on your energy consumption quite a bit,” Olberding said.

If you don’t have good storm windows or double-paned windows, Olberding recommends a window-insulating kit. The insulation film will last all winter, but once you remove it in the spring, it can’t be reused.

Faucets and pipes

When pipes freeze and burst, the damage can be great – as in thousands of dollars to repair. If you have a sprinkler system, it is critical that you winterize it. The water needs to be blown out with compressed air, so most people hire a service to do it.

Beyond that, Olberding said to be mindful of any pipes that run along an exterior wall. Consider insulating the pipes with foam for just a few dollars. Also, watch the weather forecast. When freezing temperatures are expected, run the water so that the stream is the width of a pencil.

“You might use 25 cents a night running water,” Olberding said, “but imagine the bill you’re going to get” if the pipes freeze and burst.

Other considerations

If you have a whole-house attic fan, a reusable shutter cover can help with energy efficiency. The covers offer magnetic closure, so no screwing or taping is needed. For homes with crawl spaces instead of basements, don’t forget to check all the vents. You need to close them or make sure you have something covering them, Olberding said. And invest in a carbon monoxide detector – the risk of poisoning is greater in winter.

Sedgwick County extension agent Denise Dias echoes much of Olberding’s advice. She said preparing for winter is about sealing up a house and cutting energy costs through improved efficiency.

Dias said a furnace check is always a good idea in fall, as is changing furnace filters monthly or every other month. She cautions against space heaters; almost always, it’s more energy efficient to use the house’s heating system. And don’t forget to clean out clogged gutters.

Both Dias and Olberding said it is a good habit to walk your home’s perimeter and check for bad seals room by room yearly.

“People tend to get in a comfort zone,” Dias said. But you could experience the height of discomfort if you neglect to shore up your house for winter.

This story was originally published September 14, 2014 at 4:09 PM with the headline "Autumn a good time to winterize your home."