Snow and freezing temperature can bring destruction to your home. Water damages caused by the winter cold lead to frozen and burst pipes. Get your house ready for this season before you end up spending a lot of money for repairs and maintenance.
Make sure to prepare your battery back-up or winterize your pressure washer.This tip alone can save you money.
There are a few more tips here to prepare your house for the winter season:
1.Add protection to indoor pipes
Unchecked and unprotected pipes easily get damaged during winter. It is one of the major causes why pipes become frozen and burst. Repairs cost a lot as well. The Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety or IBHS claims that burst pipes account to around $5,000 in damages.
Here’s what you can do:
- Protect your pipes by adding pipe insulation. This costs 50 cents for one linear foot and you can easily install it yourself. You can install the pipe insulation to a PVC water pipe or any exposed copper pipe.
- Make sure to also add pipe insulation to pipes that go under the sink, along the walls, or in crawl spaces or attics.
- Pay close attention to pipes in the basements. Make sure these are well insulated to avoid cases of burst pipes.
2.Insulate your crawl space or attic
Insulating your crawl space or attic can save you a lot of money. You may have to spend on the insulation, but the benefits outweigh the cost in the long run. The goal is to keep your attic cooler, so the heat will stay in your living quarters.
The following are methods for insulating your attic or crawl space:
- Batts-and-blankets insulation
- Loose-fill blower
- Spray foam
- Fiberglass insulation
Get some help from an expert to do the insulation procedures. They will be able to explain in detail what these methods are and recommend the best method to apply depending on your region and the size of your attic.
3.Have your chimney and furnace serviced
One of the biggest causes of home fires is heating equipment, furnace, and chimney. This is according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. It’s critical that these are inspected and serviced annually to make sure they’re ready for the winter.
Get an inspector to examine their conditions. Needed maintenance should be done diligently before winter starts.
4.Change window screens to glass
Window screens need to be swapped with glass storm windows to get ready for winter. Glass storm windows provide the needed insulation for your house during winter. It keeps the cold air outside and maintains hot air inside the house.
Glass storm windows also protect your house from heavy snow and/or driving rain during a heavy winter storm.
5.Inspect and repair roofing
Having your roof inspected and repaired if there’s any damage, missing or loose shingles can save you money and help avoid any untoward physical injuries during winter. Hire a licensed roofing contractor to do the job before the first snow falls.
Keep in mind that pressure from a single foot of snow can make shingles loose. This may further damage roofs and allow moisture or water to permeate. Cold water can drip from leaked ones causing more harm to your household.
6.Clean the gutters
Water can get stuck and frozen from clogged gutters. When this happens, melted snow can’t flow through the roof and downspouts. This results to mounting snow up on your roof adding a lot of pressure that may destroy the it eventually.
Perform a quick check on your gutters and make sure to clean them. Remove leaves, stones or any things that may obstruct it. Seal any cracks or holes as well using winterproof sealing materials.
7.Seal pavers or patios
Winter can surprisingly do damage to your patios or pavements. The freeze and thaw cycle of the soil during the winter season can hoist paving stones farther out of its place. Hire a mason to inspect those and have them reset any loose stones to avoid any further damage during this season.
8.Check and remove ailing tree limbs
Dead branches are dangerous during winter time. They can hold ice and overtime fall off without warning. This endangers anyone, from your household to neighbors. The damage can also strike on your roof, siding or porch. Remove any ailing or dead tree limbs or branches way before the first snow falls.
9.Drain outdoor water sources
Prepare your sprinklers or garden hoses for winter by completely draining them. This eliminates the chance of any water freezing caused by the cold temperature. Any water left inside garden hoses or sprinklers can freeze and burst.
Shutting off the water supply valve and then opening the outdoor spigot can drain any trapped water inside garden hoses and sprinklers.
10.Mark your paths, driveways and garden beds
After a heavy snowfall, it is tough to see where your driveway or footpath is. It is even hard to know where your car is if you parked it outside your indoor garage. Marking your pathway, garden beds and driveways using markers or fiberglass snow poles can help you easily identify where these places are.
Conclusion
Winter time can be fun as long as you’re able to prepare for it. You can enjoy the short days and cold weather inside your house drinking hot chocolate or a cup of coffee. This is all possible when you get your house ready for winter. Furthermore, you can save money in the long run while getting comfy during the cold winter season.
