Winter Home Maintenance Checklist

Once you have battened down the hatches in the fall, winter is a more restful time. Besides changing your furnace filter on a monthly basis, you need to do a few other things on a regular basis throughout the cold months. It’s also a good time to look at the plumbing and safety systems and the air flow in your home.

• Shovel driveway and keep clear of ice.
• Watch roof for ice dams and dangerous icicles.
• Change furnace air filters monthly, ventilation system filters every other month.
• Check firewood supply, remove ash buildup in a wood burning appliance as necessary.
• Clean your humidifier.
• Vacuum out refrigerator and freezer radiator grilles, clean the floor underneath.
• Plan fire escape routes with your family, make sure emergency exits are not blocked.
• Replace washers on leaky faucets, replace any faucets as necessary.
• Clean out all the drains throughout your house.
• Keep basement floor drain trap filled with water.
• Run water through infrequently used pipes to prevent freezing and problems.
• Inspect windows and doors for excessive condensation and ice buildup.
• Note drafts or cold air leaks that you find, repair in the warmer weather.
• Remove snow and ice as they build up in front of vents, gas meters, on walkways, and near basement windows and emergency exits.