California is the envy of the rest of the country throughout the winter. There is no other state in the nation where you can enjoy all of it, even though some states—like Florida—might be warmer or have better mountains than others, like Colorado. Even though the ocean is frigid compared to the summer, locals often throng the beach on sunny winter days when the temperature rises. The mountains offer a snowy getaway and a true winter experience and are only a few hours away. 

Here are some tips on how to winterize in the California winter season. 

Prepare Your Furnace

A poorly maintained furnace performs less efficiently, even though many people take their central heating systems for granted. This could result in increased energy costs, system failure, and safety issues. To prevent your body from cold, it is advised to be proactive with furnace maintenance, particularly before winter. 

One can also get weather data from one of the reliable services like Visual Crossing Weather API, so residents can stay informed about weather. 

Here are some key steps 

1. Every month, change the furnace’s air filter. Find the filter, then remove it. Following the arrows on the filter’s frame, insert the new filter into the slot.

2. Upgrade to a HEPA filter, electrostatic filter, or pleated filter. These filters improve the furnace’s energy efficiency while enabling the warm air to circulate freely throughout your house.

3. Air ducts and vents should be cleaned. Make use of a screwdriver to remove the vent covers. To clear the dust, use the extension hose on your vacuum.

4. For cracks, check the blower belt. At the main circuit breaker, switch off the furnace’s electricity. The steel cover of the air handler can be removed with a screwdriver. The biggest rubber belt you can see is the blower belt. If the belt is cracked, get a new one.

6. Set your programmable thermostat to automatically lower the temperature when you are sleeping or away from home. Consider installing one of these thermostats in your older house; newly constructed homes require a setback thermostat in California.

7. Verify that there are no obstructions, such as branches or animal nests, in the exhaust flue by looking outside.

8. Clear the space around your furnace unit of all clutter and debris.

9. A/C vents should all be opened. Remove any obstructions to airflow from the vents, such as furniture, boxes, and clutter.

Inspect Your Water Heater

When winter is in high gear, a cold shower is never fun. By inspecting in the fall, you can lower the likelihood that your water heater will break down during the winter. Look for any rust or charred areas close to the burner on the tank. Corrosion may result from a leak inside the tank or an abundance of moisture. 

Poor combustion or back drafting is almost invariably responsible for near-burner-blackened areas. The fire risk may outweigh the limited cost savings when insulation blankets are installed on gas water heaters, even though water heaters can be wrapped in insulation. Insulated covers on more contemporary water heaters have no insulating value. They usually pose serious fire threats due to their proximity to the draught diverter or the combustion.  

Check All Other Air Ducts Chambers at the base. 

Locate any exposed ducts (in the crawlspace or attic) and fix any spots where pipes are pinched, preventing hot air from entering the house. Metal-backed tape can seal gaps and is stronger and more long-lasting than duct tape. To remove hair, dust, and other material that could block the ducts and the air, ducts should be swept at least once every two years.

Check and Upgrade Safety Devices

Test your current smoke alarms and think about upgrading to smart dual smoke/carbon monoxide detectors that can connect to other wireless devices in your house and be monitored on your smartphone. The most popular appliances in your home can emit carbon monoxide, an odorless, colourless, and extremely deadly chemical that can cause death if ingested over time. 

Conclusion

Take a few preventative steps as the cold weather approaches to safeguard your property throughout the frigid months. Winterizing is a reasonably cheap task that will significantly impact how comfortable your home is and may even result in cost savings on your energy costs. In actuality, homeowners may do a lot of very efficient house weatherproofing tasks on their own.