As the nights draw in and the temperature drops, ready your home for winter.

Before the snow, storms, and ice-cold weather arrives, now is a good time to do some annual maintenance on your home. To protect your home with quality homeowners insurance is half the battle; the other half is to maintain it throughout the adverse weather. Getting ready for the colder weather means checking, repairing, and readying your home to withstand the upcoming rain, the wind, and snow.
Here are the latest must-do items that every homeowner should check off before hunkering down for the winter.
Seal Gaps
Examine the corners of your home. If there are any gaps where critters, bugs, and cold air can easily get in, cover them up now. You can use caulk to seal small gaps near the foundation of your home or around windows.
Add Insulation
A lot of the home’s heat is lost through the roof. If your attic is lacking insulation, add more now to prevent all of that expensive warm air exiting through the ceiling. Adding fiberglass insulation could decrease your heating bills significantly!
Clean the Chimney
Built-up creosote inside the chimney can cause a house fire – easily! Don’t fire up that fireplace until the chimney has been cleared of debris and cleaned of buildup. It’s always best to call a professional chimney sweep in to perform this check-up annually. Additionally, you may consider adding a chimney cap to prevent animals from nesting in the chimney in the future.
Cover Pipes
Be sure to wrap up exposed piping with a weather-resistant, insulating material made to keep pipes from freezing. A burst pipe is a likely occurrence if it freezes.
Change and Test Batteries
The smoke and carbon monoxide alarms keep you safe. Before the season of fires, roasting feasts, and scented candles, it’s a good idea to test and change all of the batteries in your smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector.
While you focus on readying your home for the winter months, allow the professionals at McCarty Insurance Agency to secure the right homeowners insurance for your house in Fresno, California. Visit us today for more information.