Winterizing your home

November 1, 1998

Shell Busey’s House Smart
Home Improvement Tips
November 1998

Winterizing Your Home

Environment Canada (and the Farmers Almanac) are predicting that La Nina will bring an unusually cold and snowy winter to British Columbia this season. This means that home and cottage owners need to be especially prepared for winter weather. According to Ed Hardison, President and General Manager of the Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating (CIPH), this means taking a few simple steps now to avoid potential problems later on, for example:

- Shut off any outdoor faucets. Drain them by closing the inside valve and opening the outside faucet.

- Add toilet antifreeze (from you local plumbing supply store) to toilet traps to prevent freezing in cottages and vacation homes.

- If you leave your home due to a weather emergency, or go on vacation for more than one week, shut off the water supply to keep pipes from bursting.

- While not using your winter home leave the thermostat at 45 degrees Fahrenheit to keep pipes from freezing.

- Check toilets and faucets for leaks, and repair or replace to conserve water, reduce your bill, and prevent the likelihood of more serious plumbing problems.

- Drain any sludge from the bottom of your water heater.

- Save your water heater, professionally checked if it is more than five years old, and make sure it is insulated to increase efficiency.

- Cover all hot water pipes with insulation to reduce heat loss.

- Check all hot water radiators by vacuuming and removing any foreign objects.

- Have forced air ducts professionally cleaned to provide more efficient, healthier heating.

- Keep all flammable materials away from the furnace, boiler or steam heater.

- Seal up openings and gaps around areas such as window air conditioners. Cover all ground level central air conditioning units.

- Warm up your vehicle in the driveway, not in the garage, where poisonous carbon monoxide gas can leak into your home.

- In case of a power failure, do not use portable barbecues as a temporary source of heat.

- If you own a hydronic (hot water) heating system, an annual service check should be performed according to the manufacturer's instruction manual, or by a mechanical Contractor.


CIPH is a not-for-profit trade association consisting of more than 240 Canadian manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, manufacturers' agents and allied companies which manufacture and distribute plumbing, hydronic (modem hot water) heating, industrial, waterworks and other environmental products. The Canadian plumbing and heating industry, as represented by CIPH, acts to protect the health and safety of Canadian consumers.

Further information about CIPH is available at www.ciph.com
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November 1998 Tip Printed from: www.shellbusey.com