The holidays (read: the worst possible time for a home emergency) are right around the corner. To ensure you get through the season stress-free, we’re quizzing you on five major home maintenance dos and don'ts. Pro tip: Just don't invite the Wet Bandits over.

Can you guess the myths vs. the truths?

🚰 Fact or Fiction: It’s okay to leave hoses attached to outdoor faucet covers.

This is fiction. It is not recommended to leave water hoses hooked to outdoor faucets in the winter. Why? The residual water left in the water hose can freeze and expand, adding a large amount of pressure on the faucet. This can cause damage to the faucet and possibly burst, causing flooding.

💧Fact or Fiction: Adding extra insulation to exposed water pipes is okay.

This is fact. Adding insulation reduces the opportunity for exposed water piping to freeze and burst, which can lead to flood damage.

🌡️ Fact or Fiction: You can save money on your energy bill during cooler months by keeping your thermostat on a lower temperature.

This is fact. You can save money on your energy bill by turning your thermostat back a few degrees. Air moves from a warmer space to a cooler space on its own. Decreasing the temperature difference between the inside and outside of your home slows down the rate of heat loss that your home will incur, therefore reducing the amount of time that your heating system will operate.

🔥 Fact of Fiction: Wood-burning fireplaces are the most efficient way to heat your home in the winter.

This is fiction. A wood-burning fireplace provides a very small amount of heat. The fire burning in the fireplace requires oxygen to burn, which creates a draft, pulling air from inside the home to the fire and up the chimney. This can actually decrease the temperature inside your home.

🔧 Fact or Fiction: My furnace is running fine. I don’t need yearly maintenance on it.

This is fiction. Equipment maintenance by a qualified HVAC technician is recommended annually. Proper equipment maintenance not only ensures that your heating equipment is operating properly and safely, but also that it's operating efficiently — which can reduce energy bills.

If you happen to run into an emergency this winter in the middle of the holiday rush, call Woodfin at (804) 730-5000. Their technicians are available 24/7 to help facilitate emergency appointments.*