The first snows are coming soon.
As temperatures are dropping it is time to make those last adjustments to prepare our homes for winter. We asked lifelong contractor and hardware retail expert Tim Maust what tips he has for making our homes more comfortable.
“I can definitely think of two things that you can do. You can tighten up your doors and windows so that no air passes through them, and also getting the proper insulation in your home. Most of your heat is escaping through your ceiling, so you want to make sure that you approach about an R38.
He warns against getting insulation advice from areas with a different climate, as this could lead to issues with condensation.
“If you have a wood stove, I think it’s a good idea to feed your woodstove with [outside] air. A lot of the new stoves have this port that brings air in.”
With this air intake, wood stoves can draw cold air from outside rather than sending your warm room air through the chimney and causing drafts at the windows and doors.
He also recommends “A window insulation kit, and it is a .75 mil [plastic] barrier, and it seals off the window, and it creates a barrier between the glass and the outside. The people that I’ve talked to swear by it..”
And he has some advice for checking for drafts in your house.
“ You go around on a windy day and put your hands up across your windows to see if you can feel some air coming in, if you can see light under the door or around the door, all those are going to take away your heat value.”
You can find this and more advice from the experienced staff at your local hardware store.
