What's on a home winterizing checklist?
Updated August 2026
Winterizing a lived-in home comes down to servicing the furnace, sealing drafts and weatherstripping, cleaning the gutters, disconnecting hoses, and blowing out the sprinklers before the first hard frost. Reverse the ceiling fans to clockwise to push warm air down. For a house you are leaving empty, either drain the plumbing or hold the heat at 55°F so pipes never freeze. Skip these and you invite frozen pipes and ice dams, each a $5,000-plus repair.
| Task | Interval | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Book a furnace tune-up and swap the filter | Yearly | $80–200 pro |
| Clean gutters and extend downspouts | Fall | 2 hrs · DIY |
| Disconnect hoses, drain and cover outdoor faucets | Fall | 20 min · DIY |
| Blow out or drain the sprinkler system | Fall | $75–150 pro |
| Task | Interval | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Weatherstrip doors and caulk window gaps | Yearly | $50–150 · DIY |
| Reverse ceiling fans to clockwise, low speed | Yearly | 2 min · DIY |
| Insulate exposed pipes in unheated spaces | Yearly | $1–3 per foot |
| Task | Interval | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Drain the plumbing, or keep heat at 55°F minimum | Whole season | Set once |
| Shut off the main and pour antifreeze in drain traps | Whole season | 30 min · DIY |
What neglect costs
The two failures winterizing prevents are common and costly. A frozen pipe that bursts is a $5,000 to $15,000 water-and-mold claim, and it usually hits the pipe in the coldest, least-heated corner you forgot. Ice dams, caused by attic heat melting snow that refreezes at the eaves, back water under the shingles and stain ceilings, running $1,000 to $5,000 to fix roof and drywall. Both trace to a skipped fall afternoon. For the day-of, deep-freeze steps, see the hard-freeze checklist.
Leave these to a pro
Hire out three winterizing jobs: the furnace tune-up ($80–200, which cleans the flame sensor and checks the heat exchanger for the cracks that leak carbon monoxide), the sprinkler blow-out ($75–150, since a compressor and buried lines are involved), and a chimney sweep if you burn wood ($150–400). Adding attic insulation to head off ice dams runs $1,500–3,500 but pays back in comfort and lower heating bills for decades. A pro-sealed and insulated house also shaves noticeable dollars off winter energy costs.
This whole checklist ships as reminders in OnOtto: every task above, on the right schedule for your home, snooze-proof.
Load this checklist as remindersFrequently asked questions
When should I winterize, by date or by temperature?
Aim to finish before the first hard frost in your area, which is your practical deadline rather than a calendar date. In the northern tier that means September into early October; in the mid-South it can be November. Watch the forecast for the first stretch of overnight lows near freezing and have the outdoor water and furnace work done before it. The exterior tasks, hoses, faucets, sprinklers, gutters, are the ones with a real freeze deadline; interior sealing can continue after.
What temperature should I keep an empty house in winter?
Hold it no lower than 55°F if you leave the water on, which keeps interior pipes above freezing while saving on heat. Set the thermostat, leave interior doors and sink cabinets open so warm air circulates to the pipes, and have someone check on it during cold snaps. The safer route for a long absence is to drain the plumbing entirely, shut the main, and add non-toxic antifreeze to the drain traps, so a heating failure cannot flood the house at all.
Which way should ceiling fans turn in winter?
Clockwise, on low speed, when you are heating. In that direction the blades pull cool air up and push the warm air that collects at the ceiling gently down the walls and back into the room, so you feel warmer without touching the thermostat. Flip the small switch on the fan housing, or use the remote setting, when you switch from cooling to heating in fall, then reverse it again in spring. It is a two-minute job that trims a bit off the heating bill.
Is winterizing worth it if I live there all winter?
Yes. An occupied house still freezes hose bibs, cracks sprinkler lines, and forms ice dams if the gutters are clogged and the attic leaks heat, none of which your presence prevents. Sealing drafts and weatherstripping also pay off directly in comfort and a lower heating bill all season. The only part you skip for an occupied home is the drain-down or 55°F hold, which is strictly for houses standing empty through the cold.