Staying warm is key to surviving the cold weather. When you live in a place with freezing temperatures, preparing your modular home is especially important. This helps you avoid costly repairs.
Read on to learn some tips on getting your pre-fabricated home ready for the winter.
Defining a Modular Home
Most of the modular home gets assembled in a factory. This makes it possible to build them year-round, seeing as this indoor setting offers protection from the weather. Once that's done, the parts of the home are then transported to the building site, where the final assembly takes place.
With these pre-made parts, modular homes can be built faster than traditional stick-built houses. They also differ from manufactured and mobile homes, so it's important to know what type of home you have when you're winterizing it.
Furnace Best Practices
When the cold weather strikes, it's important to keep your furnace running to keep the place warm. This helps prevent any pipes from freezing. While modular homes are heat efficient, you'll want to do what you can to prepare for emergencies. Ensure your temperature never dips below 50 degrees in the winter.
When preparing your modular home for the winter, an important tip is to check the furnace filter. This helps it run smoothly throughout the season. A clean filter also helps keep the energy bills down, so make sure to replace it every one to three months.
Protect Pipes
To ensure that your pipes are ready for the cold weather, consider protecting them with heat tape. This acts as a safeguard to prevent them from freezing or bursting. It wraps around the pipes and gets plugged into the wall.
There are a few types of heat tape, including:
- Braided heat tape
- Silicone heat tape
- Self-regulated heat tape
Self-regulated generally works best, seeing as it's the newest innovation in heat tape, and it can adjust depending on the temperature.
Pro-Tip
It's a good idea to keep the faucets running at a trickle to protect water lines.
Check for Gaps
Cold air can seep through gaps, so it's important to take measures to eliminate them. You can do this by caulking up cracks or weather stripping.
Some important areas to pay attention to are the following:
- Windows
- Exhaust fans
- Siding
- Doors
You might want to consider installing draft guards at the bottom of them. Weather stripping will keep more heat inside your modular home. However, this can work as an extra layer of protection or as a quick fix while you're weather stripping areas of the house.
By adequately preparing for the winter, you're sure to stay warm and avoid costly repairs this season.
About the Publisher
Bo Kauffmann is a residential real estate agent with over 18 yrs experience in helping buyers and sellers achieve their goals. Inducted into the REMAX Hall of Fame in 2010 and receiving the REMAX Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, Bo has sold over 500 houses and condos in the Greater Winnipeg market. He is an accredited buyer representative (A.B.R.) and a Luxury Home Marketing Specialist.
Bo provides exceptional service to First-Time Home-Buyers, Seniors looking to downsize and Home Sellers of all ages.
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Integrity
Apart from changing the filters in the furnace, make sure to clean the area around the furnace and wipe down the unit to prevent airflow obstructions and maintain efficiency. Dust and debris can accumulate in and around the furnace over time, and all of these need to be cleaned.
Dash Service
Also, remember to check the air quality in your home. In winter, we spend more time at home, and the air quality in your home becomes more important than ever. To increase your indoor air quality, check your HVAC system first. Poorly maintained cooling and heating systems often cause poor air quality.
Happy Hiller
If you get your hot water from a hot water storage tank, you also need to winterize it. The insulation with an R-value of at least 24 is preferable. This could reduce heat loss by up to 45% and save you around 10% in water heating costs.
Read this article to find out some more ways to improve your home insulation: https://happyhiller.com/blog/ideas-on-insulating-your-home-this-winter/.
Service Today
That’s a valuable addition.
We have a DIY guide to water heater insulation and want to share it: https://servicetoday247.com/how-to-install-water-heater-insulation/. Hopefully, someone will find it helpful 🙂
Gervais Mechanical
Thank you for mentioning the heating maintenance. It’s crucial. When preparing your furnace for winter, remember to check these things: https://www.gervaismechanical.com/34013-2/.
Edelman
Also, consider installing a smart thermostat. Unlike a regular thermostat, a smart thermostat automatically lowers your thermostat when you leave for work, raises your home’s temperature when you’re on your way home, and lowers the temperature before bed — all without harming your system. As a result, you could save anywhere from 12-23% on your heating costs.
ESCO
Yes, it’s important to keep furnace filters clean.
You may also want to upgrade to pleated filters with a MERV rating in the 7 to 12 range. These higher performing filters will catch smaller particles like dust, pollen, and mold spores and drastically improve your home’s air quality.
Above&Beyond
Good article! Also, seal and insulate your air conditioning unit. You can hire an HVAC specialist for this or do it yourself if you have enough experience. Reducing the amount of air that leaks in and out of your home are a cost-effective way to cut heating and cooling costs, improve durability, increase comfort, and create a healthier indoor environment.