Keeping the heat in and the cold out

By Kyle Schmidt

Staying warm inside during the harsh winter weather can be a difficult task when a home isn’t properly winterized.

Ace Hardware general manager Greg Eagleburger offered tips on how to keep heat in the home.

“If you’re barefoot or take your bare hand and go around your doors and windows and you can feel places where you got some air infiltration, try to seal those up,” Eagleburger said. “Push rugs up against the bottom of your doors.”

He also suggested replacing weather strips if they are worn down and need replacement. An easy way to check is to run a lighter on the outside and if the crack is big enough to see the flame, the strip should be replaced.

“In extreme situations, you put plastic over your windows,” Eagleburger said. “People have been doing that for years. The plastic is another layer.”

Another suggestion Eagleburger made is to invest in double-pane windows. He said he noticed a big difference in his house when he switched his own windows to double-pane, as it helps keep the air infiltration out of the windows.

The arctic blast hitting St. Joseph and cities around the country has caused power outages and transportations issues, so it’s important to be able to cover the cracks and be prepared in the event you get stuck in the house.

“Just as my mom always said, your milk, bread and eggs, you know that you you’re going to use one way or another,” Eagleburger said. “Get those and have some on hand in case, you know, you don’t get out for a couple of days.”