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Winterize
Your Home & Cottage!
From
The Desk of René Cantin
You can't stop it so you might as well get your home/cottage
ready. Here are a few tips to get your home ready for the
big chill.
1) If there are
any exterior wood surfaces that need painting; then paint
them now before the temperature dips below the freezing point.
If the paint is peeling off from the wood, this is a sign
of moisture in the wood. All of the moisture must be removed
from the wood before painting. You can purchase chemicals
at your local building supply stores to help dry the moisture.
Using a good quality exterior latex primer and two or three
coats of an exterior grade acrylic latex paint will give you
a finish that should last for years.
2) If you have
a forced air heating system do the following: Before turning
your furnace on have your chimney checked for any obstructions
such as nests or dead animals. A furnace operating with an
obstructed chimney can cause carbon monoxide poisoning to
anyone in the house. High efficiency furnaces do not use a
chimney, they vent through a small plastic pipe usually going
out the side of the house; check this pipe for nests as well
as clearing all foliage that may have grown around it.Have
a technician check your furnace thoroughly; a cracked heat
exchanger in the furnace can also cause carbon monoxide poisoning.
Install new filters, clean the humidifier, and install a new
sponge or cell for it.
If you have a hot water heating system do the following: Before
turning your boiler on have your chimney checked for any obstructions
such as nests or dead animals. Bleed all of the radiators
to remove all air from the system.
Turn the circulating pump on and check that there are no leaks
around the pump. The seals in the pump may develop a leak
if the pump has not been running during the off season. Turn
the thermostat up to a high enough temperature setting to
activate the boiler and make sure that all of the radiators
are getting warm.
It would be a good idea to have a qualified technician check
your boiler or furnace system now, rather than when it starts
getting really cold, because then you may be faced with a
hefty emergency service charge! (Sort of like waiting for
the last minute to buy flowers on Mother's day, if you know
what I mean.)
3) Check all the
weather seals on the exterior doors and windows. Replace any
worn seals or door thresholds; these can be purchased at most
hardware stores.
4) Check for any
broken windowpanes or failed seals on thermo-seal units. Moisture
between the two pieces of glass is a sign that the seal has
failed and you will have to get the entire thermo-sealed unit
replaced.
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