With winter a few months away, it’s time to prioritize any lingering home improvement do-it-yourself projects. Here are some DIY tips to follow:

Start Simple – Air Filters
One very easy and inexpensive way to make sure a home-heating system is running at peak efficiency throughout the winter is to replace air filters. They are economic to buy and easy to install. 

Energy Audit
Do you know exactly how inefficient or efficient your heating system is? Conduct an energy audit and identify potential weak points in your home, where heated air is escaping around the clock. Home experts note the collective size of all the little cracks, holes and fissures throughout a home can add up to be the size of a small window. Fortunately, once these weak points have been identified, they’re often easy to seal up. For those with a chimney, be sure it is effectively sealed up to save from losing heated air.

If you want professional help with your energy audit, contact Duke Energy here.

Learn Some Basics
Homeowners should know some of the basics related to home-heating maintenance. Even simply knowing what to look for – from identifying a filter that needs to be swapped out, pieces of insulation need to be replaced, etc. – can go a long way toward avoiding potential difficulties. Experts say heating systems should be inspected about once a month and filters should probably be replaced every three months or so during the winter.

Outdoor Items to Winterize
Clearing water from your outdoor spigot lines is something often left to professionals, but some homeowners have success doing it themselves with compressed air. 

Winterize outdoor equipment such as lawn mowers, grills, central air conditioning units and so on is also a good idea. The best advice homeowners can follow is to ensure any mechanical components left outside all winter long should be effectively winterized.

Know What Not to Do
While there are plenty of home DIY efforts that can be undertaken with relative ease and maybe a little studying, experts caution that some home-maintenance jobs should be reserved exclusively for professionals, according to Curb Appeal. When it comes to winterizing, perhaps the biggest of these DIY jobs would involve maintenance on any appliances that connect to gas lines, such as hot water heaters or stoves. The reason why is obvious: Natural gas can be very dangerous and only those certified to work with it should do so.

When a homeowner suspects a bigger problem with a heating system other than old filters or torn insulation, HVAC professionals should be called in. This isn’t the kind of job for even a handy person, simply because these systems are highly complex and can be quite difficult to fix. Repairing these systems may sometimes involve electrical issues that can be quite dangerous for those who aren’t totally aware of how to navigate them.

If you’re on the fence about whether this is the kind of job you can tackle yourself, it’s probably a better idea to err on the side of caution.

Need help with your winterizing maintenance? Contact Sibcy Cline Home Services.

Brought to you by HMS Home Warranty.  HMS is an industry leader with over 30 years of creating success for clients and providing peace of mind for customers. To learn more click www.hmsnational.com.