(Photo: WBOC)DOVER, Del.- With winter weather just around the corner, it's time to get out the warm clothes. But it is also important to remember your home needs some extra layers this time of year too.
Drafty windows, backed up gutters and frozen spigots are all in a days work for Erik Reichelt. The handyman with House Doctors says now is the time people need to get their homes ready for winter.
"With hurricane Sandy that came through, people are now actually getting a little more aware earlier," he said. "Typically we're getting calls last minute, when the cold first winter storm hits or the first snow hits."
He recommends homeowners caulk leaky window and check for clogged gutters that could lead to costly problems.
"If they're not cleaned out, the water will actually get in there and people have heard the term ice damming, that's when over a period of time the water freezes in your gutters and backs up into your shingles on the roof and cause leaking," Reichelt said.
And homeowners do not need to spend a lot of money if they want to weatherize for winter. Heavy insulation can be wrapped around a water heater to keep heat from escaping.
"As far as preparing ahead of time, you're looking at maintenance costs at a couple of hundred dollars to do the work," he said. "As opposed to an insurance claim or tremendous damage that can be thousands of dollars."
Other inexpensive ways to get ready for winter include wrapping pipes with insulation and reversing your ceiling fan to push warm air downward.
