With Halloween in the rear view mirror, and Thanksgiving in sight, are we ready for the weather that comes with the seasons? Have we taken precautions to be sure that our homes and property will be safe and survive the now forcasted winter weather? Here are some tips, and good ideas to follow as we approach the snow season.
1. Keep your rain/storm gutters clean and clear of debris. The downspouts should be free of debris as well. This will ensure proper draining of moisture that accumulates on the roof of your home, or buildings. Also this allows water to drain into a proper place, away from your foundation. Plugged rain gutters can act like a dam, and impede the path of the moisture, freeze and cause severe structural problems. Improperly drained down spouts can add to deterioration of your foundation and allow water to intrude into your basement.
2. Protect your water pipes. It is a good idea to wrap your water pipes coming into your home. Locate the water main coming into your home, either in the basement or crawl space and become familiar how to shut it off in the unfortunate event of a pipe break. Wrapping your pipes can also limit heat loss from your home and promote energy efficiency, save heat, and overall lower heating bills. Did you know that a 2" water main that typically comes into your home can allow up to 500 gallons a minute flowing into your home. In sub zero temperatures, standing in a basement full of water is not what you want to do.
3. Check, and change your furnace filters. This is a great idea, as these keep the air you breathe clean and reduces the airborne particles in your home. Also a clean airway for your furnace means that it does not have to work as hard to move air throughout your home, thus reducing energy and keeping your power bill lower. Any time we can increase the efficiency of the homes operating system, it will pay dividends, and in this case it will be two fold.
4. Keep your ground/yard clear. When snow falls, it will cover potential hazards. Rake the leaves, and make sure the ground is picked up and free of toys, tools, or any other dangerous object that will be concealed by the cover of snow fall. When snow accumulates, keep it moved clear of the foundation and areas of your property that could lead to water intrusion when it melts.
Winter is coming and eventually spring will find its way back to our environment. Let's weather the season as best as we can without any water damage emergencies. If you are less fortunate and need assistance, call Damage Control LLC immediately at (406) 274-4168.
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