Six Cost-Effective Ways to Protect Your House This Winter

After your career, it's likely that your house is your biggest financial asset. And as we approach winter (or are in it already if you live in Michigan) it's time to do those basic maintenance tasks that keep our homes safe and financially sound. Here are six cost-effective ways to protect your house this winter from Kiplinger's:

1. Have the furnace cleaned.

2. Call in a chimney sweep to check your fireplace or wood stove.

3. Check your smoke alarms.

4. Install a carbon-monoxide detector.

5. Clean the clothes-dryer vent.

6. Clean the rain gutters.

Here's where we stand on each of these:

1. We have an agreement with a local company that comes out and checks our AC in the spring and cleans the furnace in the fall. We save about $30 every year by contracting for both (versus buying them separately) and since our system is near the end of its useful life, this seems like a good investment.

2. We NEVER use our fireplace. In fact, we've turned the gas to it off.

3. I check the alarms every quarter or so (including battery checks). We had new ones installed a year or so ago, so they have plenty of life.

4. We have two carbon-monoxide detectors -- one in the basement and one upstairs where we all sleep. They each have read-outs, though they are the battery-operated kind.

5. I hate cleaning the clothes-dryer vent (it's very hard to get to), but I need to do this soon.

6. We have covers over the gutters in back (they are high off the ground and have lots of trees around), but I handle the ones in the front of the house. I have to clean them out a few times before all the leaves are gone.

Comments

[Brian Turner]

We were just discussing some similar issues on PW - another point to look into is to ensure those exposed pipes and taps are properly lagged, to protect against freezing and bursting the pipes in your home. :)

[Chris]

Off topic (sort of):

Regarding gutters, I would be curious to know if you would recommend the covered gutters to others, based on your own experience.

The reason I ask is because I need to have gutters installed on the 2nd level of our home, and I'm not particularly enthusiastic about having to clean them frequenty, due to the risk involved with the height. I already have some non-covered gutters on a lower level, but I don't mind cleaning those.

I'm wondering if the covered gutters really are really "maintenance free", and as such require less (or no) cleaning. Do you ever have to clean your covered gutters? If so, how often? Also, which brand do you have (there appear to be several, e.g. gutterhelmet, etc)?

Whenever I read reviews on them I always see mixed opinions. Some people swear by them, some people claim they still need frequent cleaning, and that they are more difficult to clean than regular gutters.

What is your opinion on them?

Thanks,
Chris

[FMF]

Chris --

I'm afraid I'm not going to be much help.

We had ours installed (I don't know what kind) when we bought the house seven years ago. (There were NO gutters on the back of the house when we bought it.) I had a crew check them out a few years ago and they were clean and water continues to run down the spouts, so I'd say they are maintenance free.

If I were you, I'd do a "how much do they cost to install" versus "how much would it cost (in dollars or your time/risk) to clean the current ones over the same period." If you then decide to go with the covered option, ask the installers for a guarantee -- that they will work or else the installers will come out and clean them every year for X number of years.

Good luck!