Colder temperatures are coming with the winter season and while sunny California will remain sunny, considering how you can make your home winter-proof and comfortable is incredibly important. If you’re looking where to begin, whether it’s ensuring your windows are properly sealed or saving your new garden from frost, here are some ideas about how you can protect your home and stay warm:
Clean your gutters: California is known for its sunny days but still gets sporadic rain and Santa Ana winds. Prepare for our temperamental weather by cleaning out your gutters before the potential for more wind or rain comes again! Making sure the gutters don’t become clogged can ensure that they won’t overflow or break from stress costing you less stress and money for repairs.
Clear the chimney sweep: If you’ve got a chimney, chances are it’s been abandoned over the months with few days adequate enough to light a fire in the home. As a result, built up ash or residue can clog the chimney and make the flue hazardous and potentially deadly. Without proper airflow, the potential for increased carbon monoxide in the home is raised. So even if you’re not planning to use it, it’s better to clean sooner rather than later.
Feeling drafty? If your home isn’t keeping the warm air in from your heater, this might be a very manageable fix depending on when you notice. Whether it’s insulating your windows by replacing or updating or even just resealing to ensure there aren’t any leaks, it’ll ensure you aren’t paying more in the long term when you get your energy bills.
Concerned about your new favorite outdoor plants? If you’re more inland, frost from overnight drops in temperature can be damaging and stressful on any plant you have outside. Depending on the size and availability of space, moving plants indoors at night or keeping them indoors when sustained low temperatures are expected can make a world of difference in their ability to survive.
Southern California is not known, at all, for drastic weather or “winter weather” in any sense. Especially in our area, snow is an anomaly. Though don’t doubt that there’s potential for dropping temperatures, rain, and wind that can affect the integrity of your home and your comfortability while you stay indoors this season. It’s important to not overestimate the ability of your home but double-check now so you won’t be writing a larger check come Spring.
