The Best Time to Winterize Your House and 4 Crucial Steps to Take Every Year

Winterizing your home is a crucial part of maintaining your investment in the long term and preventing costly repairs. Whether you're a new homeowner or you've recently moved to a cold climate for the first time, we've explained everything you need to know about home winterization so you can ensure your home is winter-ready.

Understanding Winterization

So, what is winterization? Winterizing your home is the process of completing seasonal maintenance tasks that prevent your home from succumbing to damage caused by freezing temperatures. Additionally, readying your home for winter can lead to serious savings on your utility bill by increasing it's efficiency.

By thoroughly winterizing your home ahead of winter, you can rest assured that it's protected until spring, without having to worry about checking faucets, pipes, gutters and more every time the meteorologist is calling for freezing temps.

The two most common misconceptions about winterization are assuming it's unnecessary or, on the other end of the spectrum, assuming professionals must do it. In reality, you can easily winterize your home yourself following the steps below.

When to Winterize Your House

The best time to winterize your house depends most on the region where you live. Except in extremely cold regions, most homeowners should plan on completing winterization steps in early to mid-fall, ahead of the first frost. If you're pressed for time, prioritize tasks that involve water, such as flushing irrigation lines and preparing plumbing for freezing temps, as tasks like cleaning gutters and sealing drafts usually aren't as pressing.

How Much Does It Cost to Winterize a House?

Because winterizing a house doesn't inherently require professional services or specific products, there's no set cost of winterizing a house.

Many tasks, such as flushing irrigation and plumbing systems, require no special products, while other tasks, like sealing drafts and leaks, may require products like weatherstripping and insulation. Depending on the size of your home, you can likely winterize it yourself for less than $100.

How to Winterize a House

Step 1: Prep the Plumbing

Learning how to winterize a house's plumbing can save you a major headache, as it's one of the most essential aspects of prepping a house for winter. Follow these steps to protect your plumbing from freezing temperatures:

1. Drain pipes and fixtures. Drain the water from your outdoor faucets and garden hoses, and arrange to have any in-ground sprinkler pipes blown out.
2. Protect hoses. Roll up the garden hoses and store them inside to prevent freezing and bursting.
3. Identify any "problem" pipes. Look for pipes that are prone to freezing in the house and consider using heat tape to keep them warm during extremely cold weather. To find them, look near drafty doors and windows, crawl spaces, attics and any other similar areas.

Pro Tip: To prepare for the worst, ensure everyone in the family knows how to shut off the water supply. This will minimize leaking when and if a pipe bursts.

Step 2: Check and Maintain Heating Systems

It's always a good idea to test your home heating systems before you actually need them. In early fall or late summer, take time to turn on all heat sources to ensure they're working properly. Consider these tasks where relevant:

• Ensure your chimney is safe. Be sure to have the chimney inspected and cleaned by a professional before the first use.
• Inspect your entire heating system. Have a professional perform a routine check of the heating systems before cold weather arrives. This should include vacuuming the vents and other heating components.
• Perform furnace maintenance. If your furnace has a filter, check to see if it needs to be replaced.

Pro Tip: For even greater energy savings, consider installing a programmable thermostat that automatically lowers the home's temperature when you're asleep or away.

Step 3: Seal the Leaks

You may not notice drafty windows and doors in the summertime, but once the cold weather arrives, they can prevent your home from reaching comfortable temperatures and even lead to avoidable damage. Consider these winterization tasks for combating drafts and leaks:

• Consider storm doors and windows. If you have them, install storm windows and doors to reduce drafts.
• Replace damaged weather stripping and caulk. Add or replace worn weather stripping around the doors and windows, and caulk any gaps to prevent air leaks.
• Upgrade worn doorstops. If doorstops are worn, replace them.
• Seal around pipes and ductwork. If any pipes or ducts travel through an exterior wall, be sure to use caulking and weather-stripping around all entry points.

Step 4: Inspect and Clean Gutters

If gutters aren't cleaned and maintained regularly, even a minor clog can cause them to divert water to places they shouldn't be. Additionally, during freezing weather, these clogs can freeze, which can lead to even bigger problems.

Outdoor Preparations for Winter

• Prepare your garden. Take time to protect your plants from cold temperatures. Some plants may benefit from covering, though you'll want to keep them uncovered when the weather allows.
• Winterize irrigation systems. Leaving water in your irrigation systems is a recipe for disaster that you may not catch until it's too late. Properly winterizing irrigation systems may vary slightly among systems, but it is essential to remove all water to protect the lines and various components.
• Winterize your pool. If you plan to use your pool again next summer, ensure it's ready to go by performing proper pool winterization steps in the fall.
• Protect your outdoor furniture. Odds are, if you're preparing your home for freezing weather, you won't be using your outdoor furniture much. To help it last through the season, take time to cover it, store it or reapply protectants and sealants.
• Protect outdoor equipment. Freezing temps can wreak havoc on outdoor equipment, so it's best to store it inside or cover it up until spring.