With the National Weather Service predicting an overnight low tonight of around 25 degrees, it's time to make sure your home is "winterized."

First, make sure you have good insulation surrounding your plumbing pipes,  especially if you live in a mobile home.  Check the outside of your house, doors and windows.

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Inspect for crevice cracks and exposed pipes and seal them.  You can use weatherstripping around doors to prevent cold air from entering the home and caulk windows.  If your home has a basement, consider protecting its window wells by covering them with shields.  Switch out summer screens with glass replacements from storage.  If you have storm windows,  install them.

You'll need to inspect your furnace for safety and clean ducts.  It's probably best to have an HVAC  professional do the inspection.  Stock up on furnace filters and change them monthly.   Remove all flammable material from the area surrounding your furnace.

And get that fireplace ready.  Cap or screen the top of the chimney to keep out rodents and birds.  If the chimney hasn't been cleaned for a while, call a chimney sweep to remove soot.  Buy firewood or chop wood.  Store it in a dry place away from the exterior of your home.

If you use space heaters,  safety is a top consideration.  The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that more than 25,000 residential fires every year are associated with the use of space heaters, causing more than 300 deaths.

An estimated 6,000 persons receive hospital emergency room care for burn injuries associated with contacting hot surfaces of room heaters, mostly in non-fire situations.

When buying and installing a small space heater, follow these guidelines:

  • Only purchase newer model heaters that have all of the current safety features. Make sure the heater has the Underwriter's Laboratory (UL) label attached to it.
  • Select a heater of the proper size for the room you wish to heat. Do not purchase oversized heaters. Most heaters come with a general sizing table.
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    And last, but not least, make sure your smoke detector works in case of a fire.
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