Though many people have visions of curling up with a fantastic book and a mug of hot chocolate with a warm fire or dusting off the ski equipment and hitting the slopes, savvy homeowners are considering preventing winter damage. Sure, winterizing your home is a chore, but it’s a job best done earlier rather than later. In the end, preventing water damage from occurring in the first place will save you the heartbreak and cost of chilly water damage.
Get out those shears! It’s time to trim your trees, paying particular attention to dead branches. Heavy snow and ice as well as strong winter storms can split trees and tree branches which may harm your siding or roof, break windows, or harm your car in addition to potentially injuring somebody.
After the trees are cut back, then get the ladder out and clean out your rain gutters. While this happens, melting ice and snow doesn’t get diverted down the spouts as designed; instead, the water seeps to the house, leaking through its ceiling and walls.
On a similar note, check the paths of windows and sliders to ensure that the tracks and water drainage holes are clear. If ice, water, or snow cannot flow through properly, the water will seep into your walls.
If your house has a crawl space, head underneath your home and checks to make sure that all exposed pipes are properly insulated. Otherwise, use pipe insulation to wrap your plumbing. Do the same for almost any outdoor hose bibs.
If you have a pool or hot tub, employ a pool specialist to winterize your system.
Indoor Winter Weatherization Steps
Now it is time to move inside. Since frozen pipes are among the chief reasons for winter water damage, pay special attention to your home’s pipes. All exposed pipes should be suitably insulated. Common areas where exposed pipes are available to comprise unfinished grills, showers, mudrooms, and laundry rooms. While you’re at it, inspect these pipes for cracks and leaks.
Assess and update the insulation in your home, particularly in your house’s attic. A poorly insulated loft allows a lot of heat to escape which may subsequently cause a vicious cycle of melting and refreezing snow on your roof. This cycle may cause ice damming which has the potential to cause water seepage or even a collapsed roof.
Now’s a good time to get your heating system, fireplace, chimney, and wood-burning stoves professionally serviced to make sure both safeties as well as functionality. You don’t wish to find out your furnace is broken when it’s freezing out. When the temperatures fall, heat the house and keep it at 65 degrees.
Find your pipes system’s shutoff valves and be sure you could shut the water off fast should your pipes burst. If necessary, keep a pipe wrench nearby for valves that aren’t easily adjustable or replace the valves.
Now you have the home prepped to prevent water damage this winter, you’re almost ready to hit on those slopes. However, before you depart for an extended ski trip, make sure that you prepare your house for the potential for water damage while you’re away! Maintain the house heated, open under sink cabinets to permit warm air to get to the pipes, and allow your faucets to drip. If you’ll be gone for quite a while, consider having your water system completely drained by a professional.
Check out more tips to prepare your property for winter in this informative article. During the cold season, there’s also a heightened risk of power outages. Ideas to prepare yourself for winter storm blackouts can be found here. For professional mold elimination, as well as water and fire restoration services, contact your regional PuroClean office or visit their website and check out their service page for more information.