As the frigid fortress of winter fades for warmer weather, the strain of the winter may still be impacting your home. During the winter, we rely on our homes to provide warmth and shelter and maintain functionality despite critically low temperatures that affect the longevity of a utility successfully working in a home. While we often pay closer attention to our water lines in the winter to protect them from freezing temperatures, all utility systems could use a check during spring. Here are some key ways to ensure your home is ready to function properly during warmer weather.
Checking Your HVAC
After a long winter of staying indoors and straining your heating system, checking on your HVAC and replacing your air filters is essential. Staying indoors leads to more hair and dust accumulating and cycling through your HVAC filter. If you have not changed your air filters throughout the winter, now is a great time to do so. Changing your filter protects your HVAC and improves the air quality cycling through your home.
If you have never scheduled a professional to look at your HVAC, now would be a great time to find a professional in your area and set up an appointment. Having your HVAC checked clarifies how your system functions and what changes you can make to increase its lifespan. Unfortunately, nothing we do will prevent an HVAC from failing over time, but you can potentially make changes to extend its life.
As the weather warms up and the snow melts, it is a good idea to check your unit and see if any debris, like leaves or branches, is around. Keeping the unit clean from debris extends the life of an HVAC. It is imperative to ensure the unit is off before inspection and that you have the appropriate tools to clean around it. We encourage watching this video to learn how to clean your HVAC.
Check Your Yard
If the snow has melted, the rain has not begun, and your yard is still wet, you have a problem. Cold weather and snow mask some issues in outdoor utility lines that clear weather can reveal. If you have noticed that your water pressure is weak or your water is draining slowly, you might be facing a utility line failure. Walking around your yard and testing the drains in your home before warmer summer arrives is crucial.
Reduce Your Utility Usage
It can be hard to get comfortable inside when it is cold outside. We can push our utilities hard in winter to provide a comfortable and safe home. However, springtime offers an excellent opportunity to reduce your utility usage. Reduce your HVAC usage by keeping the temperature within 10 degrees of the outdoor temperature, or try turning off your HVAC and opening a window. The spring temperature is usually close to your home’s ideal temperature. With summer coming, taking advantage of cooler and comfortable weather is influential for your utilities.
Reduce your water usage by ensuring no faucets are dripping. Additionally, try taking shorter, cooler showers. Not only will this ease the burden on your water lines, but it will also reduce the strain on your sewer lines and water heater.
Make a Secure Investment
Although we wish we could guarantee reducing the burden on your utility lines will prevent failure, the reality is the opposite. Your utility lines will fail due to normal wear and tear, no matter how much we do to protect them. It is vital to ease the burden on our utilities to improve their function and prevent additional maintenance costs; however, there is only one way to protect them from impending expenses.
Getting a home warranty is the best investment in protecting your wallet from the expenses of expected utility line failures. Companies like UtilityShield offer affordable protection plans that provide over $25,000 of protection for utility line failures. If you want to protect your wallet and invest wisely in your home’s present and future needs, explore a UtilityShield home warranty protection plan here.