Winter Home Protect Tips
Winter can bring a lot of unexpected problems to your house. These typically detrimental conditions tend to lead to a lot of residential property damage. In 2010 alone, winter weather led to over $2.6 billion in losses. While you may not be able to protect your home against everything, but you can take steps to drastically reduce the likelihood. Additionally, if you can show your insurance provider that you took necessary precautions, then you will increase your chances of having a more successful claim. Here are 5 winter home protect tips.
1. Clean Out the Gutters
You should clean your gutters fairly often throughout the year. Leaves and other pieces of debris can get caught in there, which hampers water flow. When water cannot move comfortably through the gutters, it backs up and places a lot of pressure on the system. The gutters may even break as time goes on. Additionally, flooded gutters can lead to further damage around the house.
Gutters are supposed to lead water away from the foundation of your house so that it is not impacted by the water. However, when the gutters flood, that water spills over. This leads to a negative impact on your siding and foundation. Clean out your gutters often, so you do not have to worry about excessive property damage.
2. Protect Pipes
The cold weather can cause your pipes to freeze. In some cases, this can lead to the pipes bursting, which can flood areas of your home. If you are not planning on using your sprinklers or outdoor faucets during the winter months, then you are better off draining those items of water to prevent them from freezing. You should also make sure you have adequate ventilation throughout your home that will warm up the pipes. You should know where your water shutoff valve is located just in case flooding occurs.
3. Prevent Ice Dams
You want to make sure you give your roof adequate heat during the winter. Snow on the roof can melt only for the water to move down to the gutters where it refreezes. This leads to ice dams and icicles, which pose various dangers. You can prevent ice dams efficiently by closing up attic bypasses and by adding soffit vents.
4. Inspect Chimney and Fireplace
Winter is the perfect time of year to huddle around a lit fireplace. However, before you start using it again, you want someone to come up to clean it thoroughly. Soot and other types of debris build up over time and impact the quality of the fire.
Another thing you may want to do is install a fireplace door. Cold air can enter through the chimney, and even if you are running the heater inside your house, cold air can still get inside through the chimney. This means you are wasting money heating your building only to still feel cold.
5. Seal Windows and Doors
You need to be mindful of gaps and cracks around the doors and windows. Cold air can pass through these cracks and create drafts inside your house. Additionally, a resilient sealant also helps with winter rain protection. You do not want moisture entering your home and potentially flooding a room. The small investment of sealing these areas will pay off big time in the long run.
Depending on where in the country you live, you may get a ton of extreme weather during the winter. It may rain or snow excessively. Even if the main thing you have to worry about is high winds, you still want to be proactive. If you need help with any of the above tasks, then do not hesitate to contact a professional re-modeler to assist you.
Featured Image Source: Pixabay
