Provide a safe, happy, and healthy home for your family and guests this holiday season.
Here’s how!
First, the basics:
- Check smoke detector batteries. You’re inside more with windows closed, so air quality is extra important.
- Replace furnace filters. Dust and cobwebs can cause combustion in your furnace, shortening the life of your furnace but also potentially starting the house on fire. Has it been a while? Have an HVAC professional come and inspect your furnace and ductwork.
- Remove dryer lint. Clothes dryers cause 2,900 fires a year, many happening in the Fall and Winter, according to the United States Fire Administration. Lint is a major culprit, so while your HVAC professional is out inspecting your furnace, have them clean the dryer vent, too.
- Seal up small holes to the outside of the home. You’re not the only one that wants a warm place to sleep. Keep bugs and rodents out by spraying foam (even if it’s from a small can from a box store) to seal those small entry points. Mice can start fires by chewing through wires.
- Check carbon monoxide detectors. Like smoke detectors, these become extra important when the windows are shut full time.
- Refill the first aid kit. Whether it’s a cut on the hand from slicing a bagel to needing an aspirin after too much eggnog, your guests will be grateful you have the basics.
- Caulk exterior door and window frames to seal tiny air leaks in the vinyl casings to prevent drafts and stop energy loss.
- Have your chimney inspected before starting up the fires to make sure it’s clean and ready.
- Use a boiler/radiator? Call the plumber for its annual checkup, and drain the tank to remove sediment.
- Are little kids coming? Childproof wall plug outlets, move chemicals high, and install child locks on drawers and doors.
Now, the insulating.
- Attics are the fastest way to stop energy loss - which can save you the most on your heating bills this Winter. And, stopping the heat loss stops the melting and refreezing of snow on your roof, which is the #1 cause of ice damning. Ice damage to a roof equals costly repair bills in the Spring. See more about insulating your attic here.
- Rim Joists are a fast and budget friendly project that has a big impact on energy savings and comfort in the home. It’s also a good first stop to potentially stop drafts without having to seal and insulate inside the walls. Stopping cold air from coming up from the basement by sealing where the air would get into the walls from the basement is fast and easy. If your basement is unfinished, it’s likely already open and ready to spray! If you have batt insulation already in those pockets, pull it out and throw it away. Dust off the area and you’re ready to seal and insulate in one easy spray. See more about it here.
- Hot Tubs Whether you’re installing a new tub or firing up your existing one, make sure to keep it hot and save energy by insulating around the tub basin. Foam it Green is easy to cut away and replace if you ever need to remove a chunk to do repairs. A Foam it 202 is the perfect size.
- Still got drafts? Time to insulate inside your walls. Are you spraying insulation when walls are open? (Use Closed Cell Foam it Green) Fall is a good time to get moving on those projects. The temperature is usually moderate and many contractors have wrapped up their outdoor projects for the year if you’re having someone sheetrock or paint after you insulate.
- Want to fill your walls with insulation without taking them down? We can help with that. Use our Slow Rise Foam to minimize impact to a decorated room while still getting a tight air seal and major insulation upgrade.
Call 800-516-0949 with any of your insulating questions. We’re happy to help you make your home cozy.
