So, winter has finally decided to show up...ALL AT ONCE! If you’d rather not live in a popsicle, here’s how to keep your house cozy and pipes unbroken.
First, know where your main water valve is—because if your pipes do burst, panic is not a plan. Drip your faucets a bit overnight; it’s cheaper than a plumber. Change your furnace filter and make sure the vents aren’t choking on dust. If you use fuel, keep the tank topped off—running out mid-blizzard is a *chef’s kiss* bad idea.
Close doors and vents in rooms you’re not using, and throw a rolled towel at the bottom of drafty doors. Windows leak about a third of your heat, so slap up some heavy curtains or even a blanket at night, then let the sunlight do the work by day.
And please—no heating your house with the oven. Keep flammable stuff at least three feet from heaters, test those smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and plug space heaters straight into the wall, not an extension cord. Generators? Outside only. Carbon monoxide is invisible, but very efficient at what it does.
Bottom line: a little prep now means fewer frozen surprises later—and fewer reasons to curse the polar vortex.
More about the impending storm and cold HERE!
Four State Area Road Conditions HERE!
Find additional winter safety tips HERE!
Photo by Gary Ellis on Unsplash