-4.3°C Mainly Sunny 
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Well winter is not far off by the looks of things. The mornings are getting colder every week and I hear the furnace kick in throughout the day now and not just in the morning. So I guess we better batten down the hatches.
Home renovations and improvements are all well and good because in the end we have made our living spaces better, and with that our lives better. A new kitchen or bathroom are great additions to our living space and do add more comfort however there is more to comfort than how a room looks or how the floor feels we need to live in a warm dry place with all the bad weather sealed off outside.
Throughout the winter months one of biggest concerns is keeping the warm air in and the cold air out. Whatever device is used to heat our home we need to be sure it’s operating to way it was designed to, and that we don’t do anything to impede it. Like the gas forced air furnace. That depends on drawing air in near the flame and blowing it out to all areas of the house.
A forced air heating system has one or more filters that the air must pass through before being heated and distributed to the far reaches of the house. This filter is located at the furnace. It is very important that this filter be changed frequently so it does keep the furnace system operating properly. A dirty filter may add resistance to the air flow and this will make your furnace operate poorly or not at all if the filter is too clogged.
This is the main air filter to your house that helps clean the air from around the home before forcing it back out. A lot of experts say to change the filter a couple of times a year. I think that you should change it every month during the months the furnace is operating. Why not? They only cost a couple of bucks and changing it often is cheap insurance so that your forced air furnace can do its job.
I don’t like the filters that can be cleaned out. Just buy a disposable filter that fits properly and keep it in good shape. Another thing you can do before firing up the furnace for the winter is clean it out. Clean out the area the furnace is locating in. Make sure that nothing has been stored too close and that you have access to the filter area for the rest of the winter.
Turn off the furnace and run the vacuum around so that nothing can get into the areas where the burners are. Check around the furnace area for duct work that may have leaks or perhaps come apart. If you find anything like that make the repairs or call a service man to have a look. Before it gets too cold make sure that it operates the way it should. You don’t want to find out on the coldest day that something is wrong.
In the living spaces around the house check to see that the vent covers are not blocked by furniture and that they are open and facing the direction they should. You may choose to close down the rooms that get no activity or just close it off a little. Bedrooms that are not occupied for example. Also check the larger grills around the house. They are the fresh air intakes and they too need to be clear of any obstructions so they can do they’re job by allowing air to flow freely.
Naturally this is a great time to check all the doors to see if they close tightly and check the weather stripping or seals to see if they contact the door the way they should. Even if you replaced them not long ago they could be damaged by moving in the big screen T.V. or the new leather sofa. Some can be adjusted and others will just need to be replaced if they’re damaged.
If you find that the exterior doors are not latching properly perhaps you can adjust them by moving the striker plate. Some have adjustable plates that help you get a tighter seal. It depends on the type of door you have and how it fits into the frame. These adjustments can be tiny but that is what you need to make a good tight fit on your front door.
If you think its time to install new weather stripping around the exterior doors then don’t worry about this job, its and easy one with big benefits and low cost. You will find a large selection of door seals to pick form and I suggest you find one that will allow you to make adjustments after you install it. No one has to tell us how important it is to keep the cold out we just have to find the best way to make it happen at our house.
