The storms they are a coming, are you ready? Do you know how to protect your home from wind, ice and snow damage? With a few simple steps you can potentially save yourself a lot of time and aggravation, not to mention money.

 

What to be concerned about:

Interior damage can be caused by leaky roofs or even broken pipes.

Exterior damage can be caused by heavy snow and ice, high winds or even tree limbs.

 

To prepare your home for the winter season:

• Trim back any tree limbs or branches that may cause damage or break during a heavy snow or wind storm.
• Clean our all gutters and down spouts to ensure melting ice and snow will drain quickly away from the structure.
• Turn off all water to any exterior faucets, sprinkler systems, etc and drain any residual water
• Cover all exposed exterior water pipes with insulation or special foam housings
• Insulate your water heater and water pipes especially any that may run under the structure
• Know where your main water cut-off valve is just in case you have a problem

During the winter season:

• Remove snow and ice from your roof regularly, try not to let it get above a foot (depending on the construction of the roof). If you can not safely access your roof a contractor can often assist, and is licensed and insured to do so.
• If icicles are hanging from your roof/gutters don't break them off unless you are sure they will not cause physical damage to your home, if you are not sure use a de-icer product to assist in the decomposition
• In extreme cold keep a faucet open just enough for a slow drip to prevent your pipes from freezing
• Maintain a high enough temperature inside the home to help prevent pipes from freezing (there are different thoughts on this generally 55 is acceptable)
• Opening cabinets that contain water pipes so they get the heat is helpful as well, ie under your sink, the laundry room, etc.

Keep in mind if you do experience damage your best option for quick quality repairs is a local licensed contractor. Also keep in mind if there is an insurance claim involved most likely the insurer will require a licensed contractor do the work not sure how to find a great contractor, check out our prior blog post.