Keeping your Home Safe from Grinches, Faulty Occurrences

by Tommy Mello, Owner of A1 Garage Door Service, and Audrey Monell, President of Forrest Anderson Plumbing and Air Conditioning
With the stress of finding the perfect gift or having the entire family over during the holiday season, the last thing homeowners want to worry about is a Grinch stealing presents from the garage or home appliances breaking down.
We offer these four tips to help Prescott-area homeowners prevent emergencies during the holidays.
Inspect Weather-Stripping
Setting up festive decorations around the home really adds to the holiday spirit. Prevent unsightly tearing and cracking on your garage door from stealing the show by cleaning and lubricating the weather-stripping. Use a noncorrosive household cleaner and a thin coat of silicone-based lubricant.
Insulate
A poorly insulated garage can make it difficult to maintain a warm home for family and visitors. Winterize your garage space by insulating the walls to lower home heating costs and make your home cozier for the season.
But wall insulation won’t do much good in the wintertime if your garage door is allowing cold air to enter. Fortunately, you can purchase garage door insulation kits to help seal this troublesome area. Consisting of reflective barriers, foam boards and/or fiberglass batt insulation, these kits require some modifications, including cutting, filling and adhesive placement.
Prevent Frozen Pipes
A burst pipe will ruin anyone’s holiday joy. Before temperatures start to dip, take the time to insulate any exposed pipes around your home, which will prevent water inside the pipes from freezing and cracking. It’s also a good idea to run water and flush toilets as temperatures drop for guest bathrooms or sinks not regularly used. It will keep the system running and prevent freezing pipes.
Keep Vents Clean and Clear
Be careful about blocking vents with your Christmas tree or other holiday decorations, which can hinder air circulation and strain your unit. Your HVAC system is connected to vents that allow hot air to enter your home so keeping them clean is important and simple to do. You can clean them easily with a cloth and vacuum them as they collect dust and debris.
To wrap up, as owners of home service companies, we tend to see what breakdowns happen over the holidays. We don’t want you to become a service call when everyone should be enjoying quality time with loved ones.