How To: Winterize Your Home

How To: Winterize Your Home

We’re a week into December, and temperatures are finally starting to drop! Some of us in north Georgia have been seeing sleet, and snow flurries are predicted for later this week. Although temperatures are chilly, January and February are traditionally the harshest and coldest of the winter months and can bring freezing rain, sleet, ice, and snow. Time always flies during the holidays, and getting your home prepared for winter before the harshest weather is important for the safety and comfort of you and your family! Knowing how to winterize your home is important, even in the south! Learn how to winterize your home and get started early so that you can rest easy during the holidays and winter months! 

winterize your home

Follow our easy winter home prep checklist to learn how to winterize your home and make sure that you, your family, and your friends stay safe and warm this winter!

  • Invest in a new door mat. During the course of the year, your doormat can get worn down and is no longer functional. A new door mat will encourage guests to wipe their feet and will help to reduce slips and falls.
  • Stock up on outdoor supplies. Make sure you have a snow shovel, and an ample supply of salt or sand BEFORE winter weather hits. If you wait till harsh weather hits your area, stores are likely to sell out of the supplies you need.
  • Pay attention to your home’s humidity. Dry air that occurs in your home during the winter can be damaging to your health and the health of your children. Consider purchasing a humidifier if you don’t already have one. If you do, make sure its clean and ready to be used.
  • Get your fireplace professionally cleaned. If you have a fireplace that you plan to use to heat your home during the winter, make sure you have a professional chimney sweep clean it for you first! This small step can drastically reduce your risk of having your home catch on fire or carbon monoxide poisoning.
  • Clean your gutters and downspouts. Having your gutters cleaned before winter weather hits will keep that winter precipitation flowing and can prevent clogged gutters. Clogged gutters can eventually lead to siding damage, gutter corrosion, and foundation damage.
  • Fix all the leaks in your home. If you’ve got a leaky roof, a drafty window seal, or worn out weather stripping on a door, now is the time to fix all those leaks! Fixing all those holes can help keep you warm and will cut down on your winter utility bills.

Know how to winterize your home and follow these tips to help keep you safe and warm this winter! For any winter plumbing emergencies, make sure to contact Masterflo Plumbing today at (678) 822-7095!

Summer Home Maintenance Checklist

Summer Home Maintenance Checklist

Summer is in full swing, and while most of us would rather be sitting poolside, its important to keep up with home maintenance tasks. Keeping up with your home maintenance all year long is a great way to make sure that you and your home make it year after year without needing costly repairs or replacements.

Owning a home comes with a lot of responsibilities, but we’ve made this easy for you! Before you head out to the pool or on vacation, follow our checklist below!


Here are some key things to check off on your summer home maintenance checklist-

  • Make sure all your lawn equipment is working and keep up with your yard work regularly. Extra long grass, weeds, and bushes can cause damage to your lawn equipment. 
  • Keep your outdoor hoses stored properly. It may be a good idea to invest in a hose reel. Nice hoses can be expensive, and keeping them properly stored all year long can add years to the lifespan of your garden hoses.
  • Evaluate your sprinkler system to make sure all sprinkler heads are working properly. 
  • Have your chimney professionally cleaned and inspected. Having this done during the off season when chimney sweep services are in low demand can save you money. Creosote can build up in the flue and cause a fire. Better safe than sorry!
  • Be sure to cut down any branches hanging over your roof. Overhanging branches can fall on your home and cause damage during summer thunderstorms. 
  • Clean your gutters and downspouts. 
  • Check out the caulking and weather stripping around all doors and windows. This is an easy, cheap fix and can save you tons of money on your utility bills by making your home hold heat more efficiently during the hot summer months.
  • Have your HVAC unit checked out. Having your unit inspected and professionally maintained can add years to the lifespan of your AC unit and can help it run more efficiently. 
  • Change your air filters. Old, clogged air filters can decrease the efficiency of your unity, which increases your utility bills. Also, its gross. Changing the air filter can help improve the quality of the air you’re breathing.
  • Drain your hot water heater. Sediment in your hot water heater can cause major problems. Read our post on draining your hot water heater!

Keeping up with yearly maintenance on your home is important and can go a long way in saving you money. Performing maintenance tasks can make your home run more efficiently, saving you money on utility bills, and can prevent you from needing major repairs throughout the winter or in the spring.

Follow our handy summer home maintenance checklist, and for help with plumbing maintenance or to get a head start on plumbing repairs, call the local professionals you can trust at Masterflo Plumbing. We’re here for you 24/7 at (678) 822-7095!

Home Buying Checklist

Home Buying Checklist

Buying a home can be (and usually is!) very stressful. There are so many steps in the process, so many things to check up on, look at, finish, etc. It seems like there’s always one more thing to do, find out about, or look into before you actually sign those papers and get your keys! Inevitably, the second you get your keys and move in, you discover something that you forgot to check or you see something you didn’t see before.

The plumbing system is a vital component of any home that often goes unnoticed or overlooked. This is because the plumbing system is mostly hidden from view so that we don’t have to look at our plumbing system on a daily basis. Although the plumbing system is hidden from view, it is an incredibly important thing to take a look at before buying a home. An average family of four uses nearly 400 gallons of water each day and more than 25% of that comes from flushing the toilet!

homebuying-checklist

Here is a helpful home buying checklist specific to plumbing:

  • Flush the toilet in each bathroom to make sure they’re in working order (no pre-existing clogs or leaks).
  • Check the size of the pipes. To get proper water pressure the pipes from the water source to your home should be at least 3/4″ and the pipes to your faucets should be at least 1/2″.
  • Check the water pressure in all the showers.
  • Look at the hot water heater to check for signs of damage or corrosion. Ask about its age and when it was last serviced.
  • Ask about the pipes and avoid homes with lead piping.
  • Check out the basement, crawlspace, or attic for any signs of leaks or water damage.

Hopefully this home buying checklist can help you if you’re in the market for a new home. If you’re trying to sell a home or have recently purchased a new home and need a plumber you can trust, call the experts at Masterflo Plumbing today. Our plumbers are available to you for all your plumbing needs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! Call (678) 822-7095!