House preparation for the winter

 

Many people use the autumn months to prepare their houses for the harsher winter season.

Heating cost comprises a majority of household budgets.

Paul Wilson is the owner of Kenwil Services Ltd in Windsor. His company repairs the heating, cooling and electrical equipment.

“It is a good idea to have the furnace inspected. If it is over 10 years old, every season in the fall before heat operation,” said Wilson.

He said a qualified technician inspects the furnace for any signs of leaks in the combustion process including: the secondary heat exchanger, condensate pan and combustion blower, along with associated drain hoses. Additionally, it is important to do checks on the heat exchanger to ensure there are no carbon-monoxide leaks (CO) through cracks in the chamber in the residence.

“A clean furnace filter gives results in better overall operation of the system,” said Wilson. “A plugged filter can result in a plugged secondary heat exchanger as well as the blower assembly for overall air distribution.”

He said the air distribution is more important in the winter than during the summer and to ensure all cold air return openings are free from obstruction and all vents are open for the heating season.

“Generally, vents should be closed in the basement for the cooling season to force cool air to livable areas. Also,cold air drops to lowest levels in the house. Hence, it is an important to shut basement vents in the summer,” said Wilson. “The opposite is said for winter as vents should all be open for proper air distribution as designed by installer. People must get the air across the heat exchanger. If not, then it can result in premature failures or problems.”

Wilson said people should always have operational smoke and CO detectors in the house because CO levels can rise quickly indoors in the winter. Detectors should be on every level of a residence to meet the 2016 building code, including sleeping areas.

Beyond the heating system, there are other things that can be done.

Penny Morand,73, has been a resident of Lakeshore for 65 years.

“Clean the eavestroughs and cover crawl space openings. People should remove window screens and store them.” said Morand.

She said people should check the heating system and cover air conditioning units at the beginning of the winter. To prepare for the winter season, people should also have a shovel and salt for their sidewalk ready before the snow flies.