With temperatures dropping nationwide, it’s essential that your home and yard are prepared to face the challenges freezing temperatures and ice can bring.
Here are five top tips to prep your home for the cold weather.
Store and Secure Your Outdoor Living Space
If left unprotected, patio sets, lawn decorations and outdoor equipment can face rusting from water exposure, and breakage from large amounts of snow and ice. To prevent these issues, invest in waterproof patio covers for larger items like tables and grills. Store smaller objects such as chairs, children’s toys, outdoor pillows, planters and decorative signs away in dry areas like garages, sheds or basements.
Protect Pipes
While snow and ice might look magical, that thought quickly fades when pipes burst or spring a leak. When water freezes, it can expand and put pressure on pipes, increasing the chance of them bursting. Having weak or corroded pipes increases this risk. Proactively protect your plumbing through a smart leak detection device, which connects directly to the home’s main water line and constantly monitors water flow rate and pressure to identify potential problems. If an issue is found, like low flow rate or high pressure, which can indicate a frozen pipe, some devices will alert you in real time via your smartphone app so you can take action.
On top of protecting plumbing with smart leak detection, don’t forget to check on sprinklers and exterior hoses. Properly shut off water supplies to these areas and drain any existing water to eliminate the chance they’ll cause a frozen or burst pipe.
Beat the Chill By Checking Doors and Windows
Properly sealed windows and doors can act as a vital barrier against winter’s harsh conditions. By preventing heat loss and maintaining consistent indoor temperatures, proper sealing helps reduce heating and energy costs while enhancing comfort. Determine where better insulation is needed by feeling around for cold drafts coming in through windows, doors and even unexpected areas like electrical sockets. To block the chill, do easy upgrades like weatherstripping around windows and doors, covering windows entirely with shrink film, adding covers around electrical sockets and using slide-on draft blockers at door bottoms.
Prep Heating and Alarm Systems
A home’s heating system gets a workout in the colder months. Hire a professional to do a checkup and install a fresh air filter. Getting your furnace in top shape will help maintain a comfortable temperature, keep utility bills steady and help prevent fires. Don’t leave out carbon monoxide and smoke alarms. Having functional alarms can be life-saving if a space heater catches fire or there’s a leak from your gas furnace.
Attend to Your Home’s Exterior
Providing a little extra love and care to your home’s exterior and lawn can ease stress. To avoid a roofing collapse or leaks from heavy snowfall, check your roof – or have a professional check it – for any prior damage and address it as soon as possible. Clean out gutters to remove debris buildup and trim tree branches that may pose risks for falling if piled with heavy snow or ice. Don’t forget to take inventory of snow removal tools, and stock up on supplies like snow shovels and salt to be ready for when bad weather hits.
A comprehensive winterization checklist can be a significant factor in how much wear and tear winter storms cause on the home – and help ensure a stress-free cold weather season.
By: StatePoint (Edited by d-mars.com)
