![]() ![]() Some DIYers suggest boiling an uncovered pot of water or firing up a humidifier since humid air holds heat better than dry air. ![]() To keep things toasty once you’ve blocked drafts, spin ceiling fans clockwise on low speed to push rising warm air back down to where you’ll feel it. It doesn't even require any tools for installation. It comes in a variety of colors and can be trimmed to the proper size. You can also block doors drafts with a door bottom. Of the $2,000 Americans spend annually on energy, $200-$400 is wasted on leaks, according to the U.S. “I typically focus on the bedrooms and living rooms-anywhere people might be sitting for a long period of time.”īonus: The kits could even save you money. “These kits are fantastic and allow you to get windows done quickly,” Tom says. With double-sided tape and a hair dryer, it seals windows shut in no time at all and comes off just as easily. Others might use a scrunched-up towel or tape, which can take off paint or finishes. Savvy DIYers might slide under a slit-open pipe insulator to close the gap. Older homes can be notoriously drafty as air squeezes through between the molding around windows and doors. But if a winter storm has caught you off guard and your pipes have already seized up, a hair dryer set to high or a heat gun on low can do the trick. For a more tech-forward solution, pipe heat cables automatically measure the temperature and heat any pipes on the verge of freezing. “That’s a big mess to clean up.” In basements and crawlspaces that are cold, wrap up pipes near the exterior of the home and make sure all the gaps are covered. “If it’s freezing and then warms up a bit, the pipe might rupture,” Tom says. Fortunately, foam pipe insulation provides a low-cost, high-impact fix to keep those pipes from freezing over. “if you have sufficient heat in the area, you should be fine.”įaucets are the first line of defense for the maze of pipes running throughout your home. Some people may have heard that running their indoor faucets can prevent frozen pipes, but Tom recommends taking extra precautions, like making sure to leave the heat on, even while you’re away. At just $3, faucet covers are insulated like a cooler and come in hard or soft styles depending on your set up. The first step is shutting off the water flow and the next is to protect the faucet with a cover to prevent it from freezing. “Many people haven’t shut off their water to the outside of their house.”Īs water freezes and thaws over time, it expands and contracts, potentially damaging your faucet and pipes. “The first question I ask customers is whether they have an exterior waterline,” says Tom Wolfe, a Home Depot store manager. Some simple fixes and tricks will save you money-and help keep you safe-when the snow starts to fly.įaucets may be small, but they pack a punch-especially if you have a water line outside your home. Even if you’re not in the path of a bomb cyclone this winter, you should know what to do-and what not to do-to prepare your home for a winter storm. ![]()
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