As we soak up the last few days of sunshine and cool weather starts to creep in, its time to make sure that your home is prepped against the cold. With Fall in full swing and and with each year bringing more and more extreme weather conditions, its important to make sure your home can stand the test.
Here are our tips to winterize your home:
Inspect Your Roof
With winter comes rain and snow. Before the season hits it’s important to have your roof inspected for leaks, loose shingles, and other damages that could compromise your home during heavy rain or snowfall.
In addition to checking your shingles, it’s important to have your chimney checked. If your home features a functional chimney, it’s worth inspecting this fall (and every year, for that matter). Chimney fires account for over 20,000 residential fires every year in the US. Even a small chimney fire can eventually get out of control, eventually causing damage to the structure of the chimney and possible catching other areas of the house on fire. Clogged chimneys can also increase the possible for carbon monoxide poisoning, another reason to have your chimney checked.
Likewise, it’s probably a good idea your furnace checked, too. Similar to a dirty chimney, and dirty furnace can increase your chances for carbon monoxide poisoning.
Insulation
Cold weather can have negative effects on your pipes and other parts of your home. If pipes get too cold, they can rupture. When the ice melts, that man mean massive amounts of water damage inside your home. Make sure to check your attic, basement, and other areas inside and outside your home for exposed pipes. Insulation can be purchased at most home improvement stores.
In addition to pipes, its important to make sure that your walls and ceilings are insulated too! A lack of insulation during the winter can lead to an accumulation of condensation. This, in turn, can lead to mold or mildew. In addition to being generally unpleasant to see or smell, these growths can also be detrimental for human health.
Clean Your Gutters
Clogged gutters can lead to an accumulation of branches, leaves, and other things that can weigh on your roof. During the winter, these gutters can also keep rainwater, ice, and snow from getting off the roof. Without anywhere to go, heavy ice and snow can severely damage your roof and gutters, leading to an increased possibility for exposure.
While it’s important to winterize your home and prepare in advance, sometimes damage can happen to our homes, regardless of the steps we take to prevent it from happening. If your home is damaged this winter, let our team at MaxCARE 24/7 of Washington help.
For more on protecting yourself this winter, read about How to Protect Yourself from Black Ice on our blog!