In Denver, we don’t deal with winter—we deal with the Colorado winter. That means bone-chilling cold, high winds, and, most critically, extreme temperature swings. One day it’s 60 degrees; the next, it’s single digits.
These dramatic freeze-thaw cycles are the single biggest threat to your home’s exterior systems. Water expands as it freezes, and when it’s trapped in the wrong place—like your sprinkler lines, gutters, or pipes—it guarantees costly damage in the spring.
The time you spend preparing your home now is the most valuable home maintenance investment you will make all year. This definitive home winterization checklist is designed specifically for Denver properties to help you avoid expensive emergency repairs.
Here’s Our Comprehensive Home Winterization Checklist
Winterizing your home is about proactively eliminating water hazards. Here is our official home winterization checklist to keep you, your family, and your home safe all winter long:
1. Drain and Blow Out Your Sprinkler System (The Non-Negotiable Step)
In Denver, it’s not enough to just turn off your water. You must physically remove every drop of water from the lines using an air compressor. This process, known as a sprinkler blowout, is the absolute first step in fall-winterization.
A professional uses specialized equipment to ensure the entire system—including the backflow preventer, which is highly sensitive to freezing—is completely dry.
The Cost of Skipping:
A simple sprinkler blowout in Denver service costs less than $150. The average repair bill for a single burst pipe or a cracked backflow device can easily range from $280 to over $1,500. Don’t take the risk.
2. Clean and Clear Your Gutters to Prevent Costly Ice Dams
Dirty gutters are a primary cause of major winter damage. In Colorado, snow melts from the warmth of your roof (often due to heat escaping through your attic) and runs down. If it meets a clog of leaves and debris, it backs up and refreezes, creating an ice dam.
Ice dams:
- Force water under your shingles, leading to roof and attic damage.
- Cause heavy, destructive icicles that damage gutters and are a safety risk.
Ensure your gutters are completely clear and your downspouts are draining freely. If you’re tackling this yourself, ensure you are using the best gutter cleaning tools and prioritizing ladder safety.
3. Protect Exterior Faucets and Disconnect All Hoses
This is a simple DIY task that often gets forgotten:
- Disconnect Hoses: Remove all garden hoses and nozzles from outdoor spigots and store them.
- Drain Spigots: Turn off the water supply valve inside your home (usually in the basement or utility room) that feeds the exterior spigot. Once off, open the outside spigot to drain any remaining water, then close the spigot. This creates an air gap, preventing the pipe near the wall from freezing and bursting.
4. Schedule a Furnace Check-Up and Change the Filter
Our 4th item on our home winterization checklist is one that should not be forgotten! The furnace is the hardest-working appliance in a Colorado winter home. Before the peak cold hits, ensure it’s running safely and efficiently.
- Filter Change: Replace your furnace filter monthly during peak use. A clean filter ensures better airflow and lower utility bills.
- Professional Tune-Up: Schedule an annual check-up to ensure components are clean and functioning. If your home uses forced air, consider coupling this with a professional Denver HVAC cleaning service every 3-5 years to remove dust and debris from the air ducts.
5. Check Window Seals and Door Weather Stripping for Drafts
Heat loss is your biggest enemy to energy efficiency. Inspect all windows and doors for drafts.
- The Tissue Test: Hold a lit match or a thin piece of tissue paper near the edge of a closed window or door. If the flame flickers or the paper moves, you have an air leak.
- Sealing: Apply temporary window film or use new weather stripping around doors. For large, professional jobs, consider contacting a Denver, CO window cleaning service that often offers window sealing and caulking during the off-season.
6. Guard Trees and Shrubs Against Winter Desiccation
Colorado’s winter air is dry, and the sun is intense at high altitudes. This environment draws moisture out of your trees and shrubs faster than their frozen roots can replace it—a process called desiccation (or “winter burn”).
- Deep Root Watering: Water established trees deeply once or twice a month during a dry period when temperatures are above 40 degrees. This provides essential moisture to the roots while they are dormant.
- Trunk Protection: Apply commercial tree wrap to the trunks of young trees (especially on the south and west sides) to prevent sunscald, a common damage caused by rapid temperature changes. If your trees are struggling, look into deep-root tree fertilization to boost their health before the freeze.
7. Inspect and Insulate Exposed Pipes (Especially in Crawlspaces)
This is a crucial home winterization checklist item to measure against freezing, particularly for homes with older plumbing or unheated spaces, such as garages, crawlspaces, or utility rooms.
- Locate Vulnerable Pipes: Check pipes that run along exterior walls or through cold areas.
- Insulate: Wrap vulnerable sections with foam pipe insulation (a cheap, easy DIY fix available at any hardware store).
- During Extreme Cold: Allow hot and cold water faucets to drip slowly to relieve pressure in the pipes, which can help prevent bursting.
Why Hire the Pros for Your Home Winterization?
While many of the home winterization steps—like disconnecting a garden hose or changing a furnace filter—are safe and simple DIY tasks, others are best left to licensed professionals. For homeowners in the Denver Front Range, hiring a professional service for key tasks is not about convenience; it’s an investment in safety, efficiency, and damage prevention.
The primary services where professional assistance is essential are Sprinkler Blowout and Gutter Cleaning.
Eliminating Risk and Preventing Costly Damage
The risk-to-reward ratio for certain winterization tasks heavily favors hiring a professional.
When attempting a sprinkler blowout yourself, you risk irreparable damage to your system. Using the wrong air pressure, even for a moment, can instantly crack backflow preventers, shatter sprinkler heads, and damage pipes. A professional service, such as Mile Hi Services, utilizes specialized equipment to apply the correct air volume at the correct pressure, ensuring the system is drained without damage. The cost of a professional blowout is negligible compared to the hundreds—or potentially thousands—of dollars required to repair a cracked backflow preventer come springtime.
Similarly, gutter cleaning presents a significant safety hazard. Falls from a ladder are a leading cause of home accident injuries. Our technicians are trained and equipped with professional safety harnesses and stabilized ladder systems to access high-pitched roofs and two-story homes safely. We also ensure a more thorough clean, completely clearing the downspouts of hidden debris, which eliminates the core risk of ice dam formation that homeowners often miss.
Specialized Tools and Guaranteed Results
Beyond safety, professional winterization provides superior results that maximize the longevity of your home’s systems.
For specialized jobs like HVAC and Air Duct Cleaning, our certified technicians use powerful, commercial-grade vacuums and tools to clean every component safely, ensuring your system operates at peak energy efficiency through the coldest months. When you rely on a professional home services company, you are purchasing peace of mind backed by experience, insurance, and a guarantee that the job was done correctly to protect your property from the harsh Colorado winter.
Keep You and Your Home Safe this Winter (and All Season!)
Don’t let the unpredictable Colorado weather catch you off guard. By methodically addressing the steps in this comprehensive home winterization checklist, you protect your property from the costly damage caused by freezing water and dry winter air. Remember that the best defense is preparation, and the time to act is now, before the first major freeze arrives in Denver.
Ready to Winterize? Contact Mile Hi Services Today!
Don’t wait until the freeze damages your pipes. Call us today or visit our scheduling page to lock in your essential winterization services and ensure your home is fully protected this season. Contact Mile Hi Services now for guaranteed peace of mind all winter long.