We Have Been Warned: Winter Will Return!

Last week's cold front was a warning shot fired over our bow: get your winterizing done!

Recall that front door I took down and refinished last summer? I never got around to replacing the old metal weather-stripping I ripped off the bottom of it. Yesterday the wind was blowing so hard leaves were coming in under it.

This week the sun will return and temperatures will climb, which makes it the perfect time to make sure we aren't wasting any of our heating dollars. Caulk always works better when it's warm -- as do our fingers.

Here are a few tips to help you make your house as snug as it can be this winter.

1. Walk around the outside of your house with a caulking gun and narrow putty knife looking for cracks. Check around every window, using your putty knife to probe and remove shrunken caulking. Look, too, where utility lines enter your house. Even a small hole can let a steady stream of cold air into your house.

2. Be sure to check where two different types of sheathing material join, such as stone to wood, brick to wood, stucco to stone, etc. Materials expand and contract at different rates, making these joints more apt to fail as the old caulking is stretched beyond its limits.

3. See if the basement water pipe leading to each outdoor faucet has a shutoff value. If so, close it and drain the water. Either way, unhook and store your garden hose, then place a Styrofoam cover over each faucet.

4. Got a generator? Check the battery. They go dead just sitting there not being used. Make it a point to start your generator the first day of every month to keep the battery active.

5. If your house has storm windows, be sure to install or lower them in combination storm-and-screen windows. Check the latches on your windows to make sure the screws still hold and the latches pull the windows tightly closed. Use weather-stripping to compensate for uneven edges.

6. Next time the wind is blowing, put your hand in front of your electrical outlets. You will be amazed how much cold air trapped inside the wall rushes through those tiny slots. Then multiply that by 17 outlets. You can buy foam insulation molded specifically for electrical outlets. All it takes is a screwdriver to remove the plastic plate.

7. Close the ventilation grills placed in the brick foundation of many bungalows. Cut a piece of rigid foam-board to fit the inside frame in the basement for a complete seal.

8. While in the basement, turn off the lights and look for sunlight poking in through cracks and holes in the mortar between the foundation bricks. If light comes in now, cold air comes in next month.

Quick Tip: Insulating foam-in-a-can comes in two varieties: expanding and non-expanding. The expanding is great for filling large gaps behind rock facades or between wood joists, but should not be used around windows. The force of the expanding foam can actually bow a window frame to the point where it will not open or close.

Stay Warm!

Bruce