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Snow is Coming, So What?
20 minute projects that will count in the cold!
We prep the car for snow, school districts send out their cancellation plans, parents stock up pantries, grandparents knit winter caps, but what can home owners do? It is easy to forget or even know what to do in preparation for the upcoming winter storms and snow fall. When I feel stressed or overwhelmed I tend to shut out those worries that I’m not sure what to do with. Ignorance is bliss, right? Let me help prompt you with some important things you can do and each of these house care chores can be done in 20 minutes or so for sometimes 20 minutes is all we get as a break from the rain!
Got a heat pump compressor?
Grab your clippers and loppers and trim back any vegetation that is getting too close and overhanging branches. This unit will need proper clearance to work properly through the winter.
Can you easily reach your gutters?
Grab your ladder and bucket and put on your rubber gloves and clear out the leaves. The higher up leaves have cleared the branches as you can see on the ground all around. If things are dry you may use your shop vac. If you choose to use a hose or blower you will have some additional clean up steps to take.
Want to take care of those outside faucets?
Disconnect hoses and coil them up or put them away for the winter. If you have a frost-free faucet you are done. Otherwise, insulate these faucets. Our mild climate in the Pacific Northwest does not require more – unless we get those highly unusual zero to teen temperatures that last for a week. Faucets located in the garden or away from the house should be shut off and drained (or blown free) of water. Keep the handles open during the winter.
Is your fireplace ready?
- Propane: Check your propane tank meter and confirm the fuel level on the gauge. Even if you have automatic fill up services some deliveries have been delayed and gas consumption changes in the cooler months.
- Wood-burning: Head to the wood pile, wipe off the cobwebs and top off the wood bin. You may even set some extra logs near the door so you don’t have to make that slippery trek to re-stock.
- Pellet stove: Open the hopper cover and see that the pellets are full and then confirm that you have extra bags in an easy to access and dry place in the garage.
- Natural gas: Wipe down the glass and polish the switch cause there ain’t much more for you to do. Live it up and remember that the rest of us are secretly envious!
Ready to dig out?
Find your snow shovel and boots and set them nearby. Last winter my favorite snow shovel handle broke. I vowed to replace it over the summer but you probably know what happened – nothing. It is still taped and was forgotten in a dark storage space. The cheap-o plastic shovels that fill the hardware stores just before the snow are bigger brothers to plastic picnic spoons which makes them virtually useless. Buy a nice one! A quality snow shovel will fill you with the same satisfaction of a quality ice cream scoop carving a smooth snowball from a carton of Breyer’s Natural Vanilla!
The Pacific Northwest weather is always more enjoyable when we are ready for it!
