How to Prepare Your New Jersey Home for Winter

Living in a four-season climate brings change, beauty, and challenge. As the glory of fall foliage gives way to chilling temperature drops, it’s time to prepare your New Jersey home for winter.

Following these tips will help you keep your family safe and warm from severe winter weather.

Water

Water is essential to life, but when it freezes unexpectedly, it makes life miserable. To start, you need to protect water pipes with exposure to freezing temperatures. 

• Insulate outdoor pipes and those in crawl spaces, basements, unheated rooms. Shut off the water to your garden hose and irrigation systems, then drain them. 
• If you head for warmer climates, turn off your water and drain your internal pipes to avoid disaster if your heating system fails while you’re away. 
• In extreme sub-zero temps, run a trickle of water to keep pipes from freezing.
• Locate your main water shut-off valve and tag or mark it with paint. Educate your family so they know how to find and turn off the main valve in an emergency.
• Clear your gutters from leaves and debris. Check your downspout for blockage, and use a chimney sweep tool to clear them if necessary. Consider a leaf guard system to cut down on annual upkeep and extend your downspouts to move water further from your foundation.

Air

Warm air is your friend in winter, and it is critical to keep your New Jersey home cozy. To keep it warm and safe, and energy-efficient, follow this advice.

• Check your HVAC and furnace before cold weather hits to make sure it is operational. Consider an annual check by an HVAC specialist.
• Reverse your ceiling fans. Hot air rises; your ceiling fans will sweep it down to help make your room more comfortable and reduce your heating system load.
• Install new air filters and vacuum your vents to improve airflow and air quality in your home.
• Drain air conditioner units with outdoor exposure. Preferably remove window units, or if you can’t, then cover them to block cold air coming through them. 
• Check or install smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Change the batteries in them during the check.
• Install and use a programmable thermostat to lower heating bills by conserving energy. Learn to use it, so you don’t waste energy by heating your home when it is unoccupied. 

Structure

Your New Jersey home is your sanctuary and the best place to be on the coldest days of the year. It deserves for you to treat it with love and respect.

• Start with your roof. New Jersey winters are rugged, and your roof is the first line of defense for your house. With some storms bringing 20 inches of snow and ice, they present hazards that test your roof annually. Unless you know what to look for and are comfortable climbing on your roof, hiring a professional to check your roof’s condition is advisable. You want to find and repair little problems such as cracks, tears, or gaps that could become significant problems when storms and cold weather come. Also, look for structural issues, such as sagging, that indicates weakness in heavy wet snow and ice. 
• Windows and doors can cause a significant loss of heat. Test them for drafts and check and replace failing sealant, caulking, and weatherstripping around them. Storm doors and windows further insulate your home and improve its curb appeal and value. 
• Think small. Check around all electrical outlets and switch plates for drafts. Surprisingly, proper insulation around them can account for up to a 5% savings of otherwise wasted energy. That’s a big chunk of money when you consider hefty heating bills that roll in month-after-month in New Jersey winters.
• Get an annual chimney and fireplace checkup. For both safety and comfort, make sure your fireplace is working well and that your chimney is clean and not in need of repair. Cut back any tree limbs that hang over the chimney. The more you use a fireplace, especially those that burn wood, the more frequently it needs to be swept. Hiring for annual professional service is the best solution. 
• Garage doors are potential sources of energy loss. Repair the weatherstripping, lubricate the tracks and rollers and remove the excess to avoid collecting debris on the rails. Make sure when the garage door is shut that the bottom seal prevents air from entering the garage.

Prepare for power outages with an emergency supply kit because outages are inevitable when powerful storms hit New Jersey. Your kit should contain fresh batteries, extra cash, food and water, and enough medication to last a week. A battery-powered radio, flashlights, and extra blankets will make getting through a power outage more manageable and livable. If you have an external gas-powered generator, make sure its ventilation is far enough away to avoid carbon monoxide from entering your home. 

Finally, we will end by suggesting you also take a few minutes to review your New Jersey home insurance policy. You can sum up all advice here by saying, don’t take anything for granted and protect against unforeseen problems before they happen. Reviewing your policy will ensure you have no exposed gaps in coverage that can make any losses, as described above, much worse. We are here to help you with adequate coverage and competitive rates. If we find your current coverage is complete and competitively priced, we’re happy to let you know because that’s how we do the best job for you. 

About Dickstein Associates Agency

Dickstein Associates Agency has distinguished itself as a leading provider of personal and business insurance in the tri-state area for over 55 years. We pride ourselves on being advocates for our clients and providing them with quality and affordable coverages. As an independent insurance agency, we partner with various carriers, allowing for flexible and unbiased coverage for each client’s unique circumstances. For more information on how you can leverage all of your insurance to work best for you, and how we can secure the best insurance in the marketplace based on your specific needs, contact us today at (800) 862-6662.