Daily Freeman Journal photo by Kolleen Taylor: Pat Blake, owner of Blake's Auto Repair, works on a car that needs to have the transmission fluid replaced. During winter, simple regular maintenance can save a car owner a lot of money.

It’s winter, and it’s cold.

No one is going to argue about that. It’s not just cold here, it’s cold just about everywhere.

Taking care of your home and car are critical during the winter months and there are many people who can help ensure your home and vehicle are working well.

There are few things worse than when you cannot keep your home warm and your car running. Even in the midst of the winter, there are many steps that can diminish the aggravations of winter.

Chris McNeil, who handles electrical, heating and air conditioning in the Webster City area, said he’s seeing a lack of basic maintenance issues when called to work in houses in the area.

“We’ve had two houses that had serious problems with heating because they had their threshold knocked out of their door. Basement doors or back doors that have a two-inch gap make it hard to keep the house warm,” he said.

Changing the furnace filters in the fall and spring is a simple maintenance step that is often overlooked, but McNeil said that is not the only problem,

“Decaying foundations where a little brick and mortar would help, allows the cold to get into the house,” he continued, “A lot of people do not understand the severe weather we have here and that these things make a difference.”

He noted that when people move here from a warmer climate, they are not used to these issues making a big difference.

“But it does,” he said.

He also voiced concerns about the elderly and infirmed, “People need to have someone come check on them, and just walk around the house and make sure everything is closed up and windows are secure.”

Two other areas that are simple fixes McNeil has seen recently surprised him.

“Not taking the window air conditioner units out of the window, and rugs or furniture that are put over the air intakes that will stifle the heating system,” he said.

Even if renting a home, many of these steps would be the responsibility of the renter to manage. Ultimately, the renter has to pay the gas or electric bill each month, and the more the home maintenance is overlooked, the higher the need for assistance.

It’s not always the heating system that is failing, and a simple checklist can be helpful either before winter hits, or when something seems amiss.

Cars and trucks also need special precautions taken in the winter.

“Obviously the most common things affected are the fuel system, battery, starting and charging system and tires,” said Chris Keenan, service manager for Karl Chevrolet GMC in Webster City.

“We get the low tire lights due to the temperature changes,” said Keenan. “Every time we lose 10 degrees of temperature we can lose up to 1 to 2 pounds of pressure in tires.”

With the recent fluctuations of temperature, adding air to tires in the cold gets old.

“The only other way we can combat that is by using nitrogen in your tires,” said Keenan, “Nitrogen is more stable when it comes to expansion and contraction.”

He said some people do this so they don’t have to keep adding air when it is cold or letting air out when the tires warm up. Changing from air to nitrogen is one solution.

He also noted it’s a completely different set of issues when driving a diesel vehicle. “There are lots of different things when it comes to diesel,” he said, “Be sure to have your filter serviced; it’s just crucial to starting up a diesel vehicle.”

Pat Blake at Blake’s Auto Repair agreed that the tires are a big problem during the winter,

“You have a lack of traction, and it takes longer to stop or slow down,” Blake said. “If you have low tires repeatedly, it could even be a bead that can be repaired.”

Keenan also said they have been jumping their fair share of vehicles in their own lot.

“Typically when a battery fails, you don’t get much of a warning,” he said, “Most of the shops in town have hand-held battery testers to give you a heads up as to when to replace them. Batteries typically have a three-year warranty. It’s not uncommon to see a battery survive five years.” he said.

Both Blake and Keenan agreed that regular maintenance is important.

If a vehicle is not due for routine maintenance, a winter inspection can be done. But regular oil changes are a standard step to maintain your vehicle.

“GM recommends an oil change every 7,500 miles, but I change my oil every 5,000 miles,” said Keenan, “A vehicle that doesn’t get driven often should be changed at least once a year. An oil change is cheap compared to a motor.”

Blake agreed that the oil changes are critical.

“We will check everything and make sure everything is working alright,” he said.

When the worst happens, and you are on the side of the road due to weather or an accident, a winter survival kit in the car will help.

“Winter survival kits in the car are a great idea,” Keenan said, “The basics would be water, a mylar blanket, some way to get heat, a strobing light to bring visibility to your situation.”

The Webster City Fire department has helped with both homes and cars this winter.

“We haven’t had any fire calls recently, but we’ve had a handful of vehicle accidents, with the roads being bad along (Iowa) Highway 17, I35, (U.S.) Highway 20 and (U.S.) Highway 69.” said Fire Chief Chuck Stansfield.

“We also carry a full complement of rescue tools, for extrication and water rescue,” said Stansfield. “We’ve had several vehicle accidents when the weather has been bad where we helped people get out of their vehicles.”

“We even have ice rescue equipment, if we have to go into the frozen river or lake,” he added.

“Any time the weather gets colder like this, we typically have more fires,” Stansfield said, “And we have more calls for carbon monoxide detectors. We have monitors and we will go check. If our monitor says there is a problem, we will go a step further and talk with Black Hills and they can pinpoint where the problem is.”

If you are a new homeowner or new to the area, there is good information on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, located at www.cdc.gov/winter-weather/safety

There are a lot of steps that need to be done prior to winter, like caulking and weather-stripping doors and windows, insulating walls, attics, and installing storms or thermal pane windows.

It’s too late to do most of these steps now, but there is a lot of winter left, and even making a few small changes can help save money and property.