Attic Maintenance in the Winter: Everything You Need to Know

Your winter preparations list is probably already long, which can make adding yet another item to the docket seem daunting. However, winter attic maintenance is crucial to maintaining a comfortable home climate, preventing damage, and ensuring your indoor air quality.

How do you maintain your attic in the winter?

In this article, we’ll explore five key ways to keep up with your attic’s health and structural integrity this winter. If your considering a professional for maintenance or attic insulation in San Diego, Orange County, or Phoenix, the investment will be well worth it.

#1 Prepare Before Winter Weather Hits

Before winter approaches, make sure your attic is adequately prepared for snow, ice, and freezing temperatures. Preparation is key to success. You can take the following steps to make winter attic maintenance even easier:

Inspect your insulation and repair any damage you observe in your attic space
Check your pest control methods for signs of unwelcome visitors
Seal up any wall or roof leaks to prevent cold air infiltration
Clean up and ensure that you can safely access the attic in an emergency
Stock up on maintenance items like pest control, sealant, and cleaning supplies

You’ll be much more equipped to maintain your attic throughout the entire winter season if you’re well-prepared before the first snowflakes fall. By investing time on the front end insulation installation for things like new, you can prevent future issues from happening in your under insulated house and the need to brave the chilly attic in the middle of winter.

#2 Maintain Pest Control Methods

Before winter begins, you should also make sure that the pest control methods in your attic are operable, clean, and ready to foil any pests’ plans to stay warm in your attic this year.

It’s also important to do an attic cleaning to inspect and maintain those pest control methods regularly. Make sure to:

Inspect rodent and insect traps and reset them if needed
Maintain your normal levels of poison powder or spray
Check pest screens and sealants for signs of wear or entry attempts

Just like you, pests simply want to keep warm when it’s cold. But, by keeping up with your pest control methods, you can keep them from taking up residence in your attic.

#3 Ensure a Tight Seal Around Your Attic Access

Your attic hatch isn’t just a gateway to your home’s storage space—it’s a doorway to the wintry elements.

While insulation will help keep your attic temperature during the winter, it won’t stay as warm as the rest of your home. So, to keep the colder air where it belongs—out of your main living spaces—make sure to tightly seal the attic access hatch to prevent an air leak.¹

Using weatherstrip or gaskets to seal your attic access point prevents cold air from entering your space and warm air from escaping it. While you’ll more easily maintain a comfortable temperature while the weather outside is frightful, you’ll also improve your home’s energy efficiency. The more you can prevent heat exchange and close up any potential entry points for cold air; the less your HVAC system will have to run to keep your home toasty.

#4 Add Additional Ventilation

To prevent cold infiltration and mold buildup from steam vents, producing warm moist air, increase your attic’s ventilation during the colder months. Simply add attic ventilation fans to your space by facing away from the attic hatch and toward the vent to the outside, if your attic has one.

Adding extra ventilation in the winter is good roof maintenance to prevent ice damming, which can damage gutter and roof systems. If your attic is too warm in the winter, snow will melt as it lands on your roof and turns into water. As it drips into the gutters, it could re-freeze into a long slab of ice that could expand and cause cracks.²

#5 Regularly Inspect Your Attic

Throughout the winter, take regular peeks up into your attic to catch any potential problems as soon as possible. While you don’t need to inspect your attic every day, establish a schedule that works for your lifestyle and your home, and add those dates to your calendar ahead of time.

If you’re in the process of removing attic insulation and replacing it, or just wanting to routinely inspect, here are things to look for:

Evidence of pests
Insulation damage
Water infiltration or leaks
Mold and mildew
HVAC and electrical damage

Just like replacing your air filter or descaling the hot water heater, regularly inspecting your attic, along with all attic vents, and even your air conditioner, while performing a quick attic clean up, is a task that will pay off in the long run.

Seeking Help with Winter Attic Maintenance? Attic Construction Can Help

By investing in preparation, keeping up with your pest control, sealing the access hatch, maintaining optimal ventilation, and regularly inspecting your attic, you’ll continue to protect your family and your home from the elements this winter.

If you’re seeking additional tips or help with winter attic maintenance, look no further than Attic Construction. We’ve been helping families keep their attics clean, well-insulated, and pest-free since 2011, and our experts are dedicated to providing top-tier service.

Instead of braving the winter on your own, contact Attic Construction for more tips or a free estimate today. We provide everything from attic cleaning services in Orange County to Phoenix insulation installation. Contact us today for a free quote.

Sources:

Energy Star. Sealing Your Attic Hatch or Door. https://www.energystar.gov/campaign/seal_insulate/do_it_yourself_guide/sealing_air_leaks_attic/attic_hatch_or_door
Energy Star. About Attic Ventilation. https://www.energystar.gov/campaign/seal_insulate/do_it_yourself_guide/about_attic_ventilation