Experts Weigh in on Keeping Your House Maintained in the Winter
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DULUTH - Experts weigh in on how to keep your home warm and well-maintained through the cold winter months and local home improvement stores have been keeping busy.
“Of course now, with the severe cold, we’re looking at both automotive issues as well as household issues that need to be addressed right away, otherwise further damage will happen,” Tom Donlin, general manager of the Ace Hardware store in Duluth, said.
Local experts said it’s all about the heat.
“Your heating unit is the most important part of your house. Without that, nothing else can really run. If your heat system is not working, you’re going to have frozen pipes and your plumbing’s not working,” Charles Shouse, technician of Summit Mechanical, said.
Luckily, there are several things you can do to help your pipes flow freely in the cold weather.
“You should be activating some heat tape, pipe installation helps as well and that’s the cheapest way of keeping the pipes flowing free,” Donlin said.
However, Shouse said, by far, the best advice is to have your home professionally inspected before a problem occurs.
"Preventative maintenance is really, really important,” Shouse said. “Generally, we can catch an issue before it becomes a problem and we can also increase the efficiency of the heating units.”
