Outdoor & Yard

How to winterize your home

Winterizing isn't one job — it's a list of small jobs done in October that prevent big problems in January. None of them are hard. All of them matter. Here's the order.

Job time 1 – 2 days, spread over a few weekends

Skill level Beginner

Job cost $50 – $300 in materials

The Honest Read

What this job actually involves

The cost of skipping winterization is real and predictable: burst pipes (thousands), ice dams (thousands more), heating bills 20–40% higher than they need to be, and HVAC equipment failures from running dirty and overworked.

Most of the work is just shutting things off, draining things down, and sealing things up. You're not building anything new — you're closing down systems for the season the way a boat gets winterized.

Climate matters. The checklist below is for cold-winter climates (below 32°F overnight regularly). If you're in the South or Pacific coast, you skip most of the freeze-prevention items but still do the HVAC, weatherstripping, and gutter steps.

What you need

Tools & materials

Shop the supply side here. The big-ticket stuff and the brand-restricted items, we'll point you local further down.

Tools

Adjustable wrench
Air compressor (if you're blowing out sprinkler lines)
Ladder
Hose bib key or screwdriver (depending on shutoff style)
Caulk gun
Garden hose nozzle (for back-flushing gutters)

Materials

Foam pipe insulation (for any exposed pipes)
Outdoor faucet covers (the styrofoam domes)
Exterior caulk (paintable, cold-weather rated)
Weatherstripping (replace where compressed)
Furnace filter (replace before heating season starts)
Smoke and CO detector batteries (replace yearly)

The Steps

Order of operations

Shut off and drain outdoor water (early October)

Find the indoor shutoff valve for each outdoor hose bib (usually in the basement near where the bib enters the wall). Close it. Open the outdoor bib to drain any remaining water. Leave the bib open over winter. Cover with a foam dome cap. If you have a frost-free hose bib, you still need to disconnect the hose — a connected hose holds water against the seal and lets it freeze.

Blow out the sprinkler system

Shut off the irrigation supply and the backflow preventer. Connect a compressor to the system blowout port (most systems have one). Open each zone one at a time and run air through it until only mist comes out — no water. This prevents the polyethylene pipes from cracking when residual water freezes.

Clean the gutters

Last leaves down, gutters cleared, downspouts checked. Blocked gutters cause ice dams — water backs up under the shingles when it can't drain off the roof, leaks into the attic, runs down the walls. One afternoon of gutter work prevents a season of damage.

Check the roof and chimney

Binoculars from the ground if you don't want to be up there. Look for missing or curled shingles, flashing problems around chimneys and vents, branches touching the roof. If you have a wood-burning fireplace, get the chimney inspected and swept every 1–3 years depending on use.

HVAC service

Change the furnace filter (new every heating season, more often if you have pets or allergies). If it's been more than 2 years, get a tune-up — cleaning, blower check, gas pressure check. Test the thermostat. Test the CO detector and replace its batteries. The CO detector is the most important device in the house during heating season.

Seal the envelope

Walk the perimeter of the house. Caulk any cracks where pipes, wires, or vents enter the wall. Replace failing weatherstripping on doors and windows. Add foam outlet gaskets on exterior walls (cheap and surprisingly effective). Insulate any exposed pipes — especially in crawl spaces, garages, and unheated basements.

Try local first · We'll wait

Winterization supplies are an October local-store category

Everything on the winterize list is the kind of thing that the local hardware store has stacked by the front door in October. Picking it up beats the 3-day shipping wait when temperatures drop unexpectedly.

Foam pipe insulation in every size — bring the pipe diameter or just buy a few sizes
Outdoor faucet covers, hose-bib insulators, heated heat tape for pipes that need it
Caulk, weatherstripping, and door sweeps for the seal-the-envelope step
Furnace filters (huge variation in sizes — bring the old one)
Real expert advice on what's a problem for your specific climate

Find a local hardware store →

When to call a pro

Call professionals for: HVAC tune-ups (an annual service from a licensed tech catches problems that a filter swap doesn't); chimney sweeping if you have a wood fireplace; roof or chimney repairs; and irrigation blowouts if you don't own a compressor with the right CFM. These are routine pro jobs that prevent expensive emergencies.

Keep going

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