Are you ready for winter?

[Yanita]

Hi folks,

Just wanted to remind people of some of the things to do before your cold weather really sets in...

Give your furnace a run thru the heat cycle, make sure everything is operating as it should be. Also make sure that you have changed your filters and do so every 30 days. For the best performance you should have a service tech inspect yearly.

Are the vents closed in your shirting, water lines wrapped in heat tape or other wise protected. Is it installed correctly? Make sure to drain you outside hose faucet.

Batteries, have you tested/changed the batteries in your smoke detectors/carbon monoxide detectors. Do not forget the one in the thermostat if needed. Last year I could of avoided a costly service bill had I remembered to change that battery as well.

Fire extinguishers, do you have yours available in a easy to get to place. Do not place these near where a fire is most apt to happen, over the stove or beside it, place in another area. Make sure you have another one available for your furnace. Make sure you have the right rating and it is fully charged.

If you have a fireplace that uses gas logs or wood have you had it inspected lately, this should be done yearly. Same with wood stoves, make sure the stove pipe is clean. Make sure you are burning only hard, seasoned dry wood!

To help keep your home warm, hang heavy drapes at your windows. Close them when the evening arrives and open to allow the morning sun to shine in. I play this drape game every day!

Put plastic over your windows if needed. For cheap money you can also get insulators for your wall switches and outlets. These are only needed in the exterior wall ones.

Replace any door and window seals with new ones, these are also cheap. Small drafts will suck the money right out of your wallet into heating bills.

Make sure to run your vents when cooking or bathing/showering. Mold will grow quickly in warm moist areas.

If you are using your oven in preparation for a meal, instead of closing the oven door when done and allowing the heat to escape through the vent keep the door open a little and let the heat come into the home. DO NOT heat your home with your oven regularly.

If you are using space heaters do not use an extension cord with them. If you must then make sure you are using a heavy duty cord (construction type) that can handle the electrical load. Keep all heaters away from drapes!

And lastly, I always like to add, I know our homes are small, but if you have large heavy furniture blocking your windows please rearrange. In the event of a fire you need these windows accessible to escape. It does not take very long for our homes to burn to the ground!

If anyone has something to add to help winterize your home or safety precautions please add your thoughts.

Thanks and be warm and safe this winter.

Yanita

[Harry]

Yo

Got my checklist:

1. Amish fire place
2. Winter rye grass seed
3. Long pants

Harry

[sd0321]

Yanita,

Today (winter blizzard warning in South Dakota) I did have a friend help me make sure I had heat tape on my water line.....found out the heat tape was plugged in to a non working outlet....got a good extension cord and plugged it in and it lit up...working....and added some screws to the exterior cover of that hot water heater area where the water line comes into the mobile so it won't blow off.....

But what do you mean about draining the outside faucet? I have a water faucet (to hook a hose to, or whatever) on the outside of the mobile right next to the hot water heater door cover......should I turn it on and let anything run out, or what? Thanks, Sherry

[shadow745]

Another thing people can do to prevent spigot freeze is to add freezeproof sillcocks. These have a really long stem and allow the water to still be used when needed, but don't allow cold air to come in contact with anything that will freeze up. Not sure if these can be used in all MH applications.

We have a modular and have no outside spigots in the home foundation itself. The previous owner simply T'd into the main line about 10-15 ft. away from the home and installed 1 large above ground spigot, the kind you'd see used in a farm setting. It's designed so that after each use the water drains back below ground level to help avoid freezing. Later!

[oldfart]

Aye Ma'm...I'll never be ready fer winter! Fact is I dispise cold weather!! Go figger..this from a man that lives to go hunting. Anyways spent a whole day under my home stitching up all the holes in the underbelly. What a disaster! I had holes the size of Dallas under there! No wonder the floors got so cold! Put back all the skirting I removed when doing this summers repairs/remodel. It ain't puddy..an it fer certain ain't air-tight.. but I rekkin' it'll do until I hang new skirting next summer. The whole time I had my poderous posterior wedged under that trailer I had the constant companionship of my feral friends. Nuthin' quite like reaching fer the cordless drill and snatching up a fuzzy cat instead to make yer spincter clench!! ARRRGHH! But I gotter done. For now all work is on hold. Time to hunt and spent some time in the glory of the fall woods. My soul is reborn each fall as I walk in fallen leaves and feel the brisk wind upon my face. The smell of damp earth as I commune with nature and the bittersweet nectar of a black-walnut hull rubbed briskly in my hands and held to my nose tells me I am still alive and doing right-smart well. YMHS...Audie..the Oldfart..

[Yanita]

Hey Audie,

I too love the smell of the clean fresh crisp autumn air! As for hunting, my son does, here in NC you can get 7 doe in one season!
Ummm, we have one in the freezer already, made an awesome venison stroganoff with some the other night!

Yanita

[Greg]

Sherry, If you don't have an inside shut off for the faucet (to allow you to drain the line going to it) they make a foam cover that goes over the faucet to help keep it from freezing. Any good hardware or home center should have them. Greg

[sd0321]

Thanks for the information - I don't think I do have an inside shut off to that faucet, so I'll look for one of those foam faucet covers - Sherry