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Residential Articles
Preparing Your Home For Summer:
A Do-It-Yourself Springtime Checklist
Preparing Your Home For Winter:
A Do-It-Yourself Winterization Checklist
Energy Efficiency
An Ounce of Prevention…
Preparing Your Home For Summer:
A Do-It-Yourself Springtime Checklist
The snow has melted and the trees and
plants in your garden are starting to show signs of new life.
After being indoors for months of icy winter weather, you bravely
step outside and — now what?
Winter can wreak havoc on your home and spring is the time to
evaluate any damage, do required repairs and maintenance (or
have the experts at House
Medics do it for you) and get your home ready for summer.
Our handy Do-It-Yourself Springtime Checklist will
help you identify potential problems left behind by winter so
that when summer arrives you can relax and
enjoy it!
Your Home's Exterior
- Conduct an overall inspection of the exterior of your
home, including storm drains, downspouts, screens and windows
and weather-stripping to ensure that they did not sustain
any damage over the winter.
- Inspect your roof to spot any missing or damaged shingles
and have them replaced by a QPM professional to
prevent leaking and avoid costly repairs to your home's
interior later on.
- Cut back tree limbs from power lines, the roof of your
house and the driveway.
Driveways, Patios, Walkways &
Sidewalks
- Cold winters can cause dangerous and unsightly cracks
in cement surfaces, including your driveway, patio or walkway. Use
a product with abrasion resistance to seal cracks or gaps in cement
and withstand pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
- Check the sidewalk in front of your home for any cracks or
damage that may have been caused by heavy salting. For any major
damage, contact your city's Works Department (your can find the
number by consulting your telephone directory or by checking online).
Appliances & Electronics
- Install surge protectors on all of your appliances
and electronics as power surges caused by summer thunder
storms have the potential to cause major damage to appliances,
computers and other and electrical equipment or devices.
Keeping Cool
- Have a professional from ICS - Intelligent Comfort Solutions
inspect your home's cooling system, clean the ducts and
change any filters to improve the system's efficiency and
ensure your home stays cool when the summer heat hits.
- Consider installing ceiling fans around your home to
assist in cooling your home and help reduce your hydro bills.
You might not realize it, but ceiling fans also offer year-round
benefits: they circulate the hot air that gets trapped near
the ceiling in winter, lowering your heating costs and reducing
the condensation that forms on windows and glass doors.
- If your attic has less than 6 inches of insulation, consider
having another 6 to 10 inches added as solar energy transmitted
through your roof is one of the biggest causes of summer
overheating. This is best done by a House
Medics professional who will also seal any air leaks
that may exist in the attic.
Detecting & Preventing Fire/Carbon
Monoxide
- Check to ensure that all smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
have functional batteries and are in good working order. Most units
have a “test” button that allows you to make sure it is working properly.
However, experts agree that if the detector is more than ten years old
it still may not be activated by smoke just because it sounds off when
the “test” button is pressed. Carefully test older units with smoke
from a candle or simply replace them to be on the safe side.
- Examine your fire extinguishers and charge or replace them as
necessary. If you don't have a fire extinguisher — buy one!
Miscellaneous
- Ensure you have a supply of candles (with matches) and
flashlights (with working batteries) on hand for power outages
and blackouts due to pesky spring and summer storms. Also
keep in mind that cordless phones and other phones that
require an AC adaptor will not work during a power outage,
so you may wish to have at least one regular phone in your
home for emergencies.
No job is too big or too small for the service professionals
at House
Medics and ICS - Intelligent Comfort Solutions. For more
information about preparing your home for summer or for a free
quote,
contact us today.
(go back)
Preparing Your Home For Winter:
A Do-It-Yourself Winterization Checklist
With the guarantees of below-freezing temperatures and the ice
and snow that accompany the long, Canadian winter, it’s
important to prepare your home well in advance to protect it
from damage when the cold weather arrives.
There are a lot of simple ways to winterize your home and
reduce heating costs. Many you can do yourself, while others
should be left to a QPM Home Repair Specialist.
Use our handy Do-It-Yourself Winterization Checklist to ensure
you take the steps you need to prevent potential problems
and keep your home warm, dry, comfortable — and safe — this
winter.
Insulation & Sealing
- A well-insulated attic will help you save on your heating
bill and prevent ice dams. Consider adding a second layer of
insulation to your attic, particularly if your house is older
as it is less likely to conform to modern insulation standards.
- Seal all cracks in the walls of your home to reduce the risk of
drafts, leaks, dry rot and mold. Pay special attention to basement walls,
which tend to crack more easily because of long term exposure to the
frozen ground and snow.
- Look for gaps around window frames and doors. Seal gaps on
the interior of your home by applying caulk around window and door
glass and trim, and seal exterior cracks by applying weather
stripping. Carefully inspect basement windows, which are most
likely to leak when the snow starts to thaw.
- Check exterior siding for cracks and gaps. Caulk and patch
gaps in siding and seal cracks in brick exteriors with a high-quality
masonry sealer.
Heating
- Before you turn on your furnace, make sure there is nothing flammable stored next to it.
- When you first turn on your heating system, be aware
of any strange signs or smells. It is normal for dust to
collect on the heat exchanger over the summer, resulting
in a strong, distinct odor as it burns off the first time
you turn on the heat. The smell should dissipate quickly,
so if the strange odors continue you should shut your furnace
off and contact ICS - Intelligent Comfort Solutions
immediately at (905) 828-2020.
- Ensure that your thermostat is set to heating mode, as simply
setting the dial above room temperature will not turn on the heat. Then
test the unit to ensure it is in working order.
- Change or clean your furnace filter. Clean filters improve
your furnace's efficiency, which can lower utility bills.
- Have an ICS Heating Professional check all electrical
components and furnace controls, oiling the motor as necessary
and inspecting the heat exchanger for possible cracks (a
crack in the heat exchanger can leak carbon monoxide into
your home).
Chimneys & Fireplaces
- Have chimneys and fireplaces inspected by a professional
and cleaned if necessary before you use your fireplace
for the season. This is important as a buildup of soot or
debris in the chimney can be a s erious fire hazard.
Pipes
- Insulate pipes to prevent freezing, which can block
the water supply and lead to breaking pipes. Use foam rubber
sleeves to insulate the pipes or wrap them in fiberglass
insulation. For extra protection, especially in areas of your home
that are not heated, pipes can be wrapped with special heating strips
prior to wrapping with insulation. A professional can inspect pipes
to determine which ones pose a threat of freezing and need special attention.
Outdoors
- Inspect and clean out your gutters and eaves troughs to eliminate
any clogs that can cause flooding and water damage when the snow begins to
melt. Also check for leaks and test the drainage to make sure the downspouts
are not discharging water at the base of the foundation. Have a House
Medics professional clean our hard-to-reach second storey eaves.
- Inspect your roof for any missing or damaged shingles and have them replaced by a
QPM professional to prevent leaking.
- Check the condition of walkways, steps, and your driveway for small
holes and cracks — these can result in larger cracks if water penetrates
them and freezes. For larger problems, always consult a professional.
- Drain outdoor hoses and sprinklers and bring them inside to prevent
freezing and cracking. If your home has outdoor faucets, turn off the water
(the turnoff valve is usually inside your home) and then open the outdoor
faucet to drain out the remaining water. This will protect the pipes that lead
to the outdoors from freezing.
- Cut back tree limbs from power lines, your roof and driveway. Branches
in these positions pose potential problems as they can be weighed down by
the snow and snap, damaging your property.
Detecting & Preventing Fire/Carbon
Monoxide
- Check that all smoke and carbon monoxide detectors have
functional batteries and are in good working order. Most
units have a “test” button that allows you to
make sure it is working properly. However, experts agree
that if the detector is more than ten years old it still
may not be activated by smoke just because it sounds off
when the “test” button is pressed. Carefully
test older units with smoke from a candle or simply replace
them to be on the safe side.
- Examine your fire extinguishers and charge or replace
them as necessary. If you don't have a fire extinguisher
— buy one!
Miscellaneous
- Prepare your home with quality winter tools such as a
good snow shovel (or snow blower for a larger yard and driveway)
and stock up on rock salt and sand for icy surfaces.
No job is too big or too small for the service professionals
at House
Medics and IHC/
lCS. For more information about winterizing your home or
for a free quote, contact
us today.
(go back)
Energy Efficiency
 The
ENERGY STAR symbol is a way for consumers to identify the most
energy-efficient products on the market as only those that meet
the ENERGY STAR criteria can bear this symbol. ENERGY STAR designated
products can help you save hundreds of dollars in energy costs
over conventional models and help save the environment by using
less electricity. More information about the ENERGY STAR designation
and approved appliances can be found online at oee.nrcan.gc.ca/energystar/english/consumers/index.cfm
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Many cities
across Canada are now starting to reward residents for
choosing energy-efficient and water-economical appliances.
In Toronto:
- The Toronto Wash 'n' Save program offers qualified participants
$60.00 cash back for the purchase of City-selected, high-efficiency clothes washers.
- The City is offering Toronto residents a $60.00 or $75.00 cash incentive to replace a high water use toilet with a City-selected water efficient model for a limited time.
For more information, please visit the City of Toronto:
Water Services — Water Efficiency website at www.toronto.ca/watereff/index.htm
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EnergyWiz is a software package that allows Canadian
homeowners/renters to analyze their own energy and water
use by estimating the cost of all energy and water consuming
devices in the home. The user can choose a variety of potential
cost-saving options and compare current versus estimated future
costs. EnergyWiz then displays an estimate of cost savings
for the option(s) selected along with a payback period,
allowing the user to make an informed decision about making
cost effective changes to the home.
More information on EnergyWiz software can be found online at
the Winergy Canada Inc. website at www.winergy.ca
(go back)
An Ounce of Prevention…
With periodic preventative home
maintenance, QPM can help you avoid much larger —
and more expensive — repairs in the long-term.
 For more information
about how preventative maintenance can save you money in the
long run, contact QPM today!
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