Preparing an Ottawa home for winter means more than turning up the heat. Furnace checks, fresh filters, weather-stripping, window sealing, and pipe protection matter because Kansas winters can swing quickly from mild weather to freezing rain, snow, and hard cold.

Older homes in Ottawa especially benefit from draft control and insulation checks. It also helps to prepare for outages with flashlights, blankets, charged batteries, and a plan for frozen pipes or emergency shelter if a stronger winter storm moves through Franklin County.

For more detailed home-winterizing guidance, see K-State Extension's winterizing article.