Tips for Winterizing Your Home

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Contact: Sue Rogan, 240-777-3722 or 240-777-3636
For Immediate Release: December 27, 2000

Tips for Winterizing Your Home

The Montgomery County Division of Consumer Affairs (DCA), offers the following tips to help homeowners prepare their homes for the winter season. These tips will help cut heating bills without sacrificing comfort, as well as assist homeowners in finding and selecting a qualified contractor for inspection, repair, or replacement of heating systems, roofing, home insulation, gutters, outside masonry and paving.

Have rain gutters and downspouts inspected and cleaned. This will assure that gutters are free of leaves and debris that could block drainage resulting in frozen water and possible damage to the roof and flooding of outside walls and/or basement foundation.

Have roofing and flashing (the thin metal seal around openings in the roof for chimney, skylights, and plumbing vent pipes) inspected for signs of deterioration. Roof leaks are the most common source of water damage in the home.

Inspect exterior walls, foundation, patio, steps and walkways for cracks or deterioration that could present a tripping or slipping hazard or allow water to seep in and freeze. Major signs of deterioration should be repaired professionally. However, cracks less than Ľ inch wide can usually be caulked by the homeowner.

Shut off water valve to outside faucet, drain water and disconnect hoses. This will prevent freezing pipes.

Inspect roof and ceiling insulation to ensure that the layer of insulation over the heated part of the house is at least six inches thick. Visually inspect and replace damaged or missing weather-stripping around doors and windows. To determine if more weather-stripping is required, pass your hand around window and door cracks on a cold day to detect further leakage. Make sure the fireplace damper is in the closed position when the fireplace is not in use.

Check furnace to ensure that the air circulation fan and the gas (or oil) burner is operating properly. Replace dirty air filters and check the operation of the thermostat. To further conserve fuel, it is recommended that thermostat settings not exceed 72 degrees during the day and 65 degrees at night.

For winterizing tasks that involve time, tools or expertise beyond the homeowner's capabilities, it is recommended that the homeowner get references for qualified contractors from friends or neighbors. Such tasks as the inspection, repair or replacement of heating systems, roofing, insulation, gutters, or outside masonry or paving are examples of such tasks. DCA recommends that the homeowner take the following steps to obtain the services of a qualified contractor at a fair price:

Get estimates in writing, detailing the cost of material and labor, including start and finish dates. If the initial cost estimate is over $200, obtain at least three estimates.

For heating system contractors, verify that the contractor has a current license from the Maryland State Board of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Regulation (410-230-6161). For electrical contractors, check license status with the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services at 240-777-6360. For plumbers, check license status with the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission at 301-206-8000. For insulation, roofing, gutters, or outside masonry or paving contractors, call the Maryland Home Improvement Commission at 410-230-6309.

Call DCA at 240-777-3636 and the Better Business Bureau at 202-893-8000 to check the complaint record of all other contractors and home equipment sales companies.

Final bids should include: total cost and payment terms, start and finish dates, permits required, description of the task to be done and the materials used. In addition, there should be a clear statement of the warranty terms that cover both materials and workmanship.

For more information, contact the Division of Consumer Affairs at 240-777-3636 or www.co.mo.md.us\hca.

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