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3 Tips to keep your house warm and dry during upcoming cold and snow

Your neighbors in Renton – Trusted Plumbing and Heating – are proud to serve communities all the way from Olympia on up to Marysville.

They always say “If your pipes are busted, call Trusted!” but, as part of their commitment to help their customers maintain the critical systems in their homes, they take the time to recommend simple tasks which customers can perform to prevent problems before they start.

With a severe cold snap predicted for this upcoming week, owner Jim Cunningham is sharing steps you can take to ensure the comfort and safety of your home won’t be compromised during this time. Here are three things you must do right now to protect your home during the winter.

1. Prevent Pipe Freezing
One of the biggest ways you can prevent any plumbing disasters or irreparable damage to your pipes is to keep them from freezing. Keep your thermostat at least 55 degrees to prevent the inside temperature from dipping below freezing, 32 degrees. It’s also vital to insulate and cover any exposed piping and shut off any water to outside faucets, including covering your A/C condenser outside if you have one (for those boiling temperatures over the summer!)

Winterizing: If a property is going to be vacant without heat for the entirety of the winter months, drain the water heater and plumbing system, and cut off the water supply.

2. Check Your Vents
Ensure your vents aren’t blocked or covered by any furniture. Such placement doesn’t help conserve energy, nor does it decrease any heating costs. It can actually overtax your heating systems and raise your energy costs. Along with this, check your air filters (about once every one to two months). Dirty air filters can also decrease your heating system’s functionality and put further strain on the HVAC system. Contact Trusted Plumbing and Heating to schedule a furnace tune-up and thermostat inspection to ensure they are working properly.

3. Fix Drafts
Check all your doors and windows or cracks or openings. Again, these will crank up your heating costs as your heat and money literally go out the window. Even the smallest gap around your doors (as small as 1/8- inch gap) will allow a lot colder air into your home than you think. It can be roughly the equivalent of keeping a small window open about halfway. A simple fix for this is to apply weather strips and door sweeps or a physical barrier to a larger gap. If weather stripping or a draft stopper isn’t doing the trick, try putting a large, heavy blanket over the door.

These Aren’t the Only Things You Can Do
There are several other tips and tricks that can help you during freezing temps and throughout the winter, with the costs ranging from relatively inexpensive, as mentioned here, to some more costly items such as insulating your attic or sealing windows and air leaks. If you’re concerned about potentially freezing temperatures or possible winter damage to your home, you don’t have to do it on your own! Contact Trusted Plumbing and Heating in Renton today to schedule your HVAC system maintenance or for more information regarding protecting your home this winter.

You can feel great about supporting a South King County family owned business committed to our community. Take a look at what Des Moines resident Anita Corby had to say about her experience with Trusted Plumbing and Heating