How to Prep Your Home and Car for the Cold Weather

MT. PLEASANT, Mich.,–– Michigan winters can be particularly nasty, and the freezing temperatures we are known to experience can take their toll on your house and your vehicle. There's a number of internal automotive components that can wear down more quickly in the cold. Same goes for your home as well! But thankfully, you can take steps to protect both your house and your ride from winter's inclement weather. Read on learn how to prep your home and car for the cold weather.

Prep Your Home:

Protect Your Pipes - You do not want to deal with the catastrophe of having frozen pipes that crack and then burst come springtime. To ensure this doesn't happen, disconnect and store outdoor hoses, cover outdoor faucets, and drain the water from any outdoor sprinkler systems. Additionally, make sure to protect any water pipes that are in unheated areas of your home with insulation.

Check Your Furnace - You don't want to go through any amount of time this winter without a working furnace, so before the weather gets too cold, test out your furnace to make sure it's running well. Also, to ensure efficiency, we recommend changing your furnace filter right now and then every two to four months until the cold weather subsides.

Prevent Ice Dams - Ice damns are large pieces of ice that build up on the edges of your roof, usually in a gutter, that can seriously damage the structural integrity of your roof. To avoid allowing any ice damns to occur, start by cleaning out your gutters. Then, invest in a de-icing cable system that can be installed on your roof, or purchase an extendable roof rake to use to shovel off the snow that accumulates on your roof so that the ice damns won't begin to form.

Clean and Store Lawn Equipment - It's important to properly winterize and store your lawn equipment for the winter. Start by emptying the fuel in your equipment, as gasoline can damage fuel lines and other components if it sits there for too long unused. You should also clean off any dirt, grime, oil, or grass that is on your lawn mower, leaf blower, etc.

Seal Doors and Windows - Use caulk to seal around your windows and install weather stripping around doors as needed to help keep the warm air in your house from escaping outside, saving you money on your heating bill.

Inspect Fireplace and Chimney - Don't lose any of the warm air in your home by forgetting to close your chimney's flue all the way. Put your hand up your chimney to check, you shouldn't be able to feel any cold air coming down the chimney.

Other Winter Essentials - Make sure you have road salt and shovels to keep your driveway ice and snow-free. Also, a backup generator is a good thing to have in case of emergency or a power outage.

Prep your Car:

Make an Emergency Kit - Everyone should have a winter emergency kit in their car during these colder months. It should include a first aid kit, jumper cables, emergency cash, flashlight, cell phone charger, and additional cash. Additionally, we recommend that you keep sand/kitty litter and a shovel in your vehicle in case you get stuck in a snowbank.

Check Your Engine Coolant/Antifreeze Levels - These fluids will help keep your engine's radiator from freezing or overheating which is especially important during the winter months when the temperatures drop below freezing. You can pop the hood of your vehicle to check your fluid levels or you can always bring your vehicle into our Service Center to have your levels checked and refilled if need be.

Check Your Tire Pressure and Tread Depth - As we all know, driving in snow and ice can be hazardous. Avoid slipping and sliding on winter roads by keeping your tire pressure at the optimal level and making sure that your tire tread isn't worn down. Bald and under-inflated tires will dramatically reduce your handling on the road, so ensure your safety this winter by either maintaining your tires or purchasing new ones.

Get Your Heating and Ventilation Fixed - Getting the heating and ventilation systems in your vehicle checked and/or fixed is extremely important this time of year. You won't be able to defrost your windshield in the morning so that you can see the road properly, and you'll be unable to warm up the cabin of your vehicle, neither of which are safe things to experience.

For additional tips and information to get your vehicle in top shape before the snow and ice arrive, we recommend reading our Fall Car Care guide to prepare for the coming winter weather. It's important to how to prep your home and car for the cold weather this time of year! If you have any questions on how to get your vehicle ready for winter or need any routine maintenance done before the snow falls, visit our Graff Mt. Pleasant Service Center. Our knowledgeable and friendly service technicians will be happy to assist you with anything you need. If you're interested in upgrading to a vehicle that can handle the winter conditions and roads, contact our sales staff to get their recommendations on which vehicles, or check our inventory online to see for yourself!

At Hank Graff Mt. Pleasant we strive to provide our customers with a car buying experience that is accommodating, stress-free and fun! Visit us at our Chevrolet dealership located at 4580 E Pickard Rd in Mount Pleasant, Michigan 48858 or our Buick GMC Cadillac dealership located at 116 N. Mission St in Mount Pleasant, MI 48858.

Websites: Chevrolet: HankGraffMtPleasant.com and Buick GMC Cadillac: GraffBGC.com

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