Houston weather experts predict some freezing weather this week, in particular, Thursday; the coldest in 10 years (according to the Houston Chronicle).  The Puryear Team wants to be sure our friends and family all around the greater Houston area take the necessary precautions to ensure your home is safe for this kind of weather.  In addition to reading our first article in our December newsletter, here are 10 tips to get your home winter weather ready.  You'll be a lot less comfortable in the coming months if you haven't prepped Home Sweet Home for Old Man Winter.

1.Clean the Gutters  
Once the leaves fall, remove them and other debris from your home's gutters -- by hand, by scraper or spatula, and finally by a good hose rinse -- so that winter's rain and melting snow can drain. Clogged drains can form ice dams, in which water backs up, freezes and causes water to seep into the house.  As you're hosing out your gutters, look for leaks and misaligned pipes. Also, make sure the downspouts are carrying water away from the house's foundation (at least 10 feet away from the house), where it could cause flooding or other water damage.

2. Protect those Pipes

Probably the most problematic in the Houston area, a burst pipe caused by a winter freeze is a nightmare. Prevent it before Jack Frost sets his grip:

– Insulate all exposed outdoor and attic pipes with weather-resistant material. Insulating-foam tubing designed for pipes is easy to install and inexpensive. Make sure all surfaces of the pipe are covered.

– If an extended and deep freeze is expected, insulation alone may not be sufficient. Consider installing electric heat tape or cable with a built-in thermostat. Be sure the heat tape bears an Underwriters’ Laboratories (UL) seal and is in good condition. Do not overlap the tape when wrapping it around a pipe.

– Use insulating faucet covers, or wrap rags, paper, trash bags or plastic foam around outdoor faucets. Installing pressure-relief valves on outdoor faucets also helps prevent bursting of pipes that freeze.

– Temporarily cover any vents around your home's foundation.

– Bring water hoses indoors.

– Open the cabinets under the sinks in your kitchen and bathrooms to allow heated indoor air to circulate around water pipes.

– If you normally set back your thermostat at night or when away from home, change the setting to keep some heat on until the severe freeze is over.

– Insulate your outdoor water meter box and be sure its lid is on tight.

– Protect outdoor electrical pumps.

– If you have a swimming pool, either drain the circulation system or keep the pump motor running. (Run the pump motor only in a short freeze. Running the motor for long periods could damage it.)

– If your home has exposed pipes and a severe freeze is expected, let faucets run at a slow trickle, but don't run a big stream of water. Too many running faucets in an area can cause drops in community water pressure and problems for fire-fighting emergencies.

– If you plan to leave town, consider turning off your water at the shut-off valve while faucets are running to drain your pipes. (Make sure the faucets are turned off before you turn the shut-off valve back on.)

– If you drain your pipes, contact your electric or gas utility for instructions on protecting your water heater.

– Finally, be sure everyone in your household knows where the main water shut-off valve is and check it to make sure it isn’t stuck.

To winterize a house that will be vacant in frigid temperatures without heat, it is recommended to drain pipes.  For hard freeze conditions, many recommend adding nontoxic antifreeze (RV or boat antifreeze – NOT auto antifreeze) in the toilet bowls (about 1/3 gallon) and the p-traps of sinks and drains (about 2 cups) – or having a professional plumber drain and winterize the entire system.

3. Block those leaks
One of the best ways to winterize your home is to simply block obvious leaks around your house, both inside and out, experts say. The average American home has leaks that amount to a nine-square-foot hole in the wall, according to EarthWorks Group.

First, find the leaks: On a breezy day, walk around inside holding a lit incense stick to the most common drafty areas: recessed lighting, window and door frames, electrical outlets.

Then, buy door sweeps to close spaces under exterior doors, and caulk those drafty spots.   Outlet gaskets can easily be installed in electrical outlets that share a home's outer walls, where cold air often enters.

Outside, seal leaks with weather-resistant caulk. For brick areas, use masonry sealer, which will better stand up to freezing and thawing. Sealing small cracks will be beneficial; they could get bigger, and you will prevent small insects from entering your home.

4. Insulate yourself
This will cost a little money, but you get the money back quick. Adding insulation to the existing insulation in the attic will definitely be worth it!  Regardless of the climate conditions you live in, you need a minimum of 12 inches of insulation in your attic.  A simple trick to delineate whether you have enough: go into the attic and if you can see the ceiling joists you know you don't have enough, because a ceiling joist is at most 10 or 11 inches.

A related tip: If you're layering insulation atop other insulation, don't use the kind that has a paper backing, or "kraft face" finish, because it acts as a vapor barrier, and can cause moisture problems in the insulation.

5. Check the furnace

Throughout the winter you should change the furnace filters regularly (check them monthly). A dirty filter impedes air flow, reduces efficiency and could even cause a fire in an extreme case. Toss out the dirty fiberglass filters; reusable electrostatic or electronic filters can be washed.

It's a good idea to have furnaces cleaned and tuned annually. Costs will often run about $100-$125.

6. Get your ducts in a row
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a home with central heating can lose up to 60% of its heated air before that air reaches the vents if ductwork is not well-connected and insulated, or if it must travel through unheated spaces. That's a huge amount of wasted money, not to mention a chilly house. (Check out this audit tool for other ideas on how to save on your energy bills this winter.)

Ducts aren't always easy to see, but you can often find them exposed in the attic, the basement and crawlspaces. Repair places where pipes are pinched, which impedes flow of heated air to the house, and fix gaps with a metal-backed tape (duct tape actually doesn't stand up to the job over time).

Ducts also should be vacuumed once every few years, to clean out the abundant dust, animal hair and other gunk that can gather in them and cause respiratory problems.

7. Face your windows
Now, of course, is the time to take down the window screens and put up storm windows, which provide an extra layer of protection and warmth for the home. Storm windows are particularly helpful if you have old, single-pane glass windows. But if you don't have storm windows, and your windows are leaky or drafty, you should update them to a more efficient window.

Of course, windows are pricey. You should budget to replace them a few at a time, and in the meantime, buy a window insulator kit. The kit is plastic sheeting that's affixed to a window’s interior with double-stick tape. A hair dryer is then used to shrink-wrap the sheeting onto the window. (It can be removed in the spring.) It's temporary solution and it's not attractive, but it's inexpensive (about $4 a window) and it's extremely effective.  You can get these kits at any home improvement store.

8. Don't forget the chimney
We forget about these in Houston, but ideally, spring is the time to think about your chimney, because chimney sweeps are usually busy at this time of year obviously, so if you don’t want to wait, plan in advance.

Don't put off your chimney needs before using your fireplace, however, a chimney should at least be inspected before use each year; you never know what might be lodged in there – anything from tennis balls to animals!

Ask for a Level 1 inspection, in which the professional examines the readily accessible portions of the chimney, most certified chimney sweeps include a Level 1 service with a sweep.

Woodstoves are a different beast, and should be swept more than once a year. A general rule of thumb is that a cleaning should be performed for every ¼ inch of creosote wherever it may be, because if it's ash, then it's primarily lye a component that was once used to make soap, and it's very acidic. It can cause mortar and the metal damper to rot.

Another tip: Buy a protective cap for your chimney, with a screen; it's probably the single easiest protection, because it keeps out foreign objects (birds, tennis balls) as well as rain that can mix with the ash and eat away at the fireplace's walls.

One other reminder: make sure your chimney's damper closed when the fireplace isn't in use.  This will help keep the cold air out.   And for the same reason, woodstove owners should have glass doors on their stoves, and keep them closed when the stove isn't in use.

Check out Chimney Safety Institute of America’s Web site for a list of certified chimney sweeps in your area.

9. Reverse that fan
Reversing your ceiling fan is a trick that people don't often think of. By reversing its direction from the summer operation, the fan will push warm air downward and force it to recirculate, keeping you more comfortable. How do you know the fan is winter friendly? As you look up, make sure the blades turn clockwise.

10. Finally, check those alarms
This is a great time to check the operation -- and change the batteries -- on your home's smoke detectors. Detectors should be replaced every 10 years, fire officials say. Test them -- older ones in particular -- with a small bit of actual smoke, and not just by pressing the "test" button. Check to see that your fire extinguisher is still where it should be, and still works.

Also, invest in a carbon-monoxide detector; every home should have at least one.

If these chores seem overwhelming to you, try calling a professional or visit

www.1800contractor.com.  Just type in your zip code and the work you want done in the search bar.  The site will pull up contractors in your area that specialize in that work.

Stay Warm,

Don

Certified Residential Specialist

Broker Associate-Licensed Attorney

RE/MAX Metro

2626 Richmond Ave

Houston, TX 77098

713-528-1800 (office)

713-302-6543 (cell)

800-660-6906 (fax)

donpuryear@swbell.net

www.NoPlaceLikeHouston.com