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Prep home now to keep out winter weather




With early frosts and temperatures that have dropped into the 30s at night, Mir Khan, energy projects engineer, Directorate of Public Works, said residents should start checking their homes now to make sure they’re prepared for winter to avoid emergencies once it arrives.SUBMITTED

With early frosts and temperatures that have dropped into the 30s at night, Mir Khan, energy projects engineer, Directorate of Public Works, said residents should start checking their homes now to make sure they’re prepared for winter to avoid emergencies once it arrives.SUBMITTED

There’s still a little more than a month left of autumn, but in the past few weeks we have already gotten a taste of the winter temperatures that are just around the corner.

With early frosts and temperatures that have dropped into the 30s at night, Mir Khan, energy projects engineer, Directorate of Public Works at Fort Campbell, said residents should start checking their homes now to make sure they’re prepared for winter to avoid emergencies once it arrives.

Service HVACs

Most people have already started to use the heat in their homes but before it becomes the norm, Khan suggests that families take the time to check their HVAC units and have them serviced to avoid potential issues during the coldest months of the year.

“It is best to have the HVAC unit serviced every season to make sure that it will perform well throughout the season and won’t breakdown in the middle of the season,” he said. “HVAC preventive maintenance to include changing the AC filter on time is very important, if the unit is not maintained properly, it might breakdown and incur a huge expense to replace it.”

 

 

If families are unsure of how to check their HVACs themselves, they shouldn’t hesitate to call a professional to handle it for them, Khan said.

“Do not procrastinate but seek help to get any major issues addressed before extreme weather hits,” he said.

Monitor the thermostat

One way to keep the HVAC unit from working too hard this winter is to make sure that homes are only being heated to a reasonable degree, otherwise, Khan said, heating a home beyond what is truly necessary to maintain a level of comfort could overwork the HVAC unit and cause it to break down.

“Try not to set your thermostats too high in the winter and too low in summer, as the unit has to work too hard and lot of energy is wasted,” he said. “The optimum setting for cooling is 72 degrees and for heating is 68 degrees, where the unit doesn’t have to work hard to maintain these temperatures.”

In addition to maintaining the indoor temperature at an advisable level, Khan suggests making sure the area around the home thermostat is clear, that way the thermostat doesn’t react to the heat around it.

“Avoid placing any heat generating equipment – for example coffee pots, printers, or computer/monitors – under the thermostat, as the thermostat will get a false reading and make the unit run more than it should – in cooling season,” he said. “It will be the opposite in heating season, as the unit will think that it is warm, and it won’t run when it should be running.”

Check for drafts

If families find they are having trouble keeping their homes heated, it’s time to check for drafts to see where the heat is going, Khan said. Be sure to check if the seals or weather stripping around the windows and doors are intact. Any cold air coming in can be felt around the edges of a window or door where seals or weather stripping are deteriorated will require replacement.

“If there is damage to the weather stripping around doors and windows, there will be infiltration and loss of energy due to the cold or warm air coming in or escaping from the gaps in windows and doors,” Khan said. “Windows can be sealed by using a film that seals the windows from inside, which is available at any home improvement store.”

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