ReadyHarbor

Cold snap

A cold snap is coming and the house is not ready

What you actually need for cold snap — 14 things to cover, each with a pick.

As an Amazon Associate, ReadyHarbor earns from qualifying purchases.

Covers for the outdoor taps

An outside tap is the most common place a pipe freezes and splits, and the split is usually inside the wall where you cannot see it until it thaws and floods. This is a two-minute job that prevents the single most expensive thing on this list.

What to check
  • Check the cover fits over the tap and seals against the wall - a loose one does very little
  • Disconnect and drain any hose first, because a connected hose holds water right up against the valve

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

Pipe insulation for the cold runs

The pipes that freeze are the ones in unheated spaces - a loft, a crawl space, a garage, an outside wall. Foam sleeves take a few minutes each and are the standard answer.

What to check
  • Measure the pipe's outside diameter and the wall thickness of the foam, because the sleeve has to fit snugly to do anything
  • Buy more length than you measured, since joints and bends eat it faster than a straight run

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

Draught stoppers for the doors

The gap under an external door is often the biggest single hole in a house, and cold air comes through it constantly. Blocking it is the change you feel in the room within an hour.

What to check
  • Measure the door width and the gap height
  • A twin-sided stopper that sits on both sides of the door works better than a single tube, which gets kicked out of place every time the door opens

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

Weatherstrip tape for the frames

After the gap under the door, the next biggest losses are round the frames of doors and windows that no longer close tight. Tape goes on in an afternoon and comes off again in spring if you rent.

What to check
  • Check the thickness against the gap - too thick and the door will not shut, too thin and it does nothing
  • Look for a foam or rubber V-strip rather than the thin adhesive foam, which flattens in a season

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

Window insulation film

A single-glazed or old window loses heat all night, and film adds a still layer of air across it, which is what actually insulates. It is nearly invisible once shrunk and comes off in spring.

What to check
  • Measure every window before choosing, and buy a kit covering more area than you measured
  • You need a hairdryer to shrink it tight - without that step it stays wrinkled and looks bad

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

Gaskets behind the sockets and switches

This is the one nobody knows about. On an external wall, every socket and switch is a hole through the insulation, and on a windy day you can feel the air coming through them. Foam gaskets cost very little and take a screwdriver.

What to check
  • Buy the pack that covers both socket and switch shapes
  • Turn the power off at the consumer unit before removing any faceplate, and if you are unsure, this is a job for an electrician rather than a guess

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

Thermal curtains

Curtains are the cheapest form of window insulation and the one you already have a rail for. A lined thermal pair closed at dusk holds a noticeable amount of heat in the room overnight.

What to check
  • Measure the drop and the width, and allow for the curtain to overlap the frame at the sides - a curtain that stops at the glass leaks round the edge
  • Check the header type matches your existing rail or pole

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

A heated throw

Heating a person costs a fraction of heating a room. A throw over a lap in the evening is the single most efficient warm thing in the house, and it is the one that means the thermostat stays where it is.

What to check
  • Look for auto-shutoff and several heat settings
  • Check whether it is machine washable, and whether the controller detaches - the ones that do not are hard to wash and get replaced early

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

A space heater for one room

If the cold snap is short, heating the one room you are in beats heating the house. This is also the backup if the boiler struggles, which is exactly when boilers tend to fail.

What to check
  • Two safety features matter more than anything else: tip-over shutoff and overheat protection
  • Check for a thermostat rather than just high and low, because a heater with no thermostat runs constantly
  • Never run one on an extension lead, and never leave one running overnight unattended

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

A carbon monoxide alarm

Cold snaps are when heating runs hardest, when people use an unvented heater indoors, and occasionally when a flue blocks. Carbon monoxide has no smell and the first symptoms feel like an ordinary winter headache.

What to check
  • Check the printed end-of-life date, since the sensor expires on a fixed schedule whether or not it has ever alarmed
  • Battery backup matters, because a mains-only unit is off during a power cut, which often happens in the same storm

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

A thermometer and humidity gauge for the room

You cannot fix what you cannot see. Knowing that a bedroom sits several degrees below the hall tells you where the problem actually is, which is usually not where people assume.

What to check
  • Look for one that records the minimum reached overnight, which is the number that matters
  • Humidity is worth reading too - very dry air feels colder at the same temperature and is what cracks furniture and skin

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

A fresh furnace filter

A blocked filter makes the heating system work harder and push less warm air, at the exact time you are asking the most of it. It is the cheapest thing you can do for a system that is struggling.

What to check
  • Read the size printed on the edge of the filter already in place and match it exactly - this is the step people get wrong
  • A moderate MERV rating filters well without choking the airflow the way a very high one can in an older system

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

Ice melt for the steps and the path

The path to your own front door is where most winter falls happen, and it is the one nobody grits until after someone has slipped. It also matters for anyone visiting.

What to check
  • Check the lowest temperature it works at, since ordinary rock salt stops being effective well above the coldest nights
  • A pet-safe and concrete-safe formulation matters if you have either

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

A scraper and brush for the car

The morning of the freeze is when everyone finds out they do not have one, and the alternatives - a card, a hand, hot water on the glass - either fail or crack the windscreen.

What to check
  • Look for a brass or plastic blade and a long handle if you have a tall vehicle
  • A foam or bristle brush pushes snow off without dragging grit across the paint the way a stiff one does

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

Related situations