If you look at the weather hitting North America right now, it’s enough to send a shiver down your spine. Once the winds calm down and the last drop of snow has melted away, many people will need to repair their homes.
Contents
- 1 10 Smart Ways to Prepare Your Home for the Harsh Winter Months
- 1.1 1. Ensure Your Gutters Are Clean
- 1.2 2. Wrap Up Your Tanks And Pipes
- 1.3 3. The Roof Should Be Sealed Up
- 1.4 4. Plug Any Holes In Your Gutters
- 1.5 5. Replace Old Windows And Doors
- 1.6 6. Apply Caulking To Your Windows
- 1.7 7. Keep A Few Bags Of Salt On Hand
- 1.8 8. Repair Damage To Your Chimney
- 1.9 9. Install Chimney Draft Excluder
- 1.10 10. Examine Your Exterior Walls to Prepare Your Home for Winter
- 2 It’s Never Too Late To Prepare Your Home
10 Smart Ways to Prepare Your Home for the Harsh Winter Months
It’s worth ensuring your home is prepared for the worst when the weather takes a turn for the worst. Not only will it save you lots of time, but it can prevent massive amounts of damage. Let’s look at a few things you can do to get ready.
1. Ensure Your Gutters Are Clean
If you hire professionals who provide eavestrough services in Burlington or in any other part of Southern Ontario, they’ll be able to remove leaves and dirt blocking your gutters. You must remove all the debris before it gets too cold, especially if it’s not been done for years.
Imagine what will happen if the water can’t drain away once it lands in your gutters. Once everything freezes, it can become so heavy it crashes to the ground. Eavestroughs are held in place by a few screws that can’t handle much weight.
2. Wrap Up Your Tanks And Pipes
It’s hard to survive winter without hot water and operational radiators, especially for prolonged periods of time. If you’re unlucky, there might be a real problem that can only be fixed by professionals, which will cost lots of money.
In most cases, you run into problems during freezing winters because your tanks and pipes freeze. If you wrap everything in proper insulation, it’s less likely to freeze. You should be able to do it yourself in a few hours.
3. The Roof Should Be Sealed Up
Think about how much snow and rain will land on your roof throughout a terrible winter. It will slide off your roof or run into your gutters if everything is working, but it will be a disaster if you have holes in your roof.
Water will always find a way inside if you have broken/missing tiles, which turns into large puddles inside your attic. If you want to avoid black mold and rotten wood, you should ensure your roof is perfect before the weather gets even worse.
4. Plug Any Holes In Your Gutters
Eavestrough installation, maintenance, and repair companies can plug any holes in your gutters. If you have any water dripping down at the moment, it will eventually ruin the appearance of your exterior walls.
Your house will start to lose its curb appeal once your walls become discolored. Gaps in your gutters will only get worse once the water freezes, which makes them even bigger, so it’s crucial they get closed up now.
5. Replace Old Windows And Doors
Windows and doors will only last so long before they need to be replaced. It’s hard to keep your house warm in winter when all the hot air is escaping. It will soon drive your energy bills through the roof.
Look into getting new windows and doors on finance if they’re in a terrible state. It costs lots of money to replace them, but it’s affordable if you can pay in installments. You won’t need to waste as much energy heating your home.
6. Apply Caulking To Your Windows
Resealing your windows and doors is the next best thing if you don’t want to replace your old ones. You can start by walking around your home looking for missing pieces and cracks. Once finished, you can tackle them all at once.
If you watch a few YouTube videos, you should be able to do it yourself. It only requires basic DIY skills. Look into replacing the weather stripping on your windows, which will prevent rain from getting inside.
7. Keep A Few Bags Of Salt On Hand
It’s always worth having a few bags of rock salt on hand in winter. Even if you shovel thick snow away from your paths, any water left will quickly turn into ice. Anyone in your family could have a bad accident if they slip.
Once you spread rock salt on the ground, it will melt the ice and keep you safe. Only spread the salt on areas where you plan on walking, and don’t use it unless it’s freezing. You’ll waste too much money if you spread it everywhere.
8. Repair Damage To Your Chimney
If there is anything wrong with your chimney, water will find its way inside your house. Cracks will need to be sealed to prevent water from getting in. You’ll also need to make sure the flashing is in good condition.
A professional roofer can check your chimney no matter how bad the weather is outside, but don’t wait until you realize something is terribly wrong. Get it checked in plenty of time, so it can be repaired before problems arise.
9. Install Chimney Draft Excluder
Working fireplaces are rare these days, but they’re amazing when it’s cold. Unfortunately, it will let far too much heat escape whenever there isn’t a fire. Would you leave a random window open in winter if it was freezing outside?
It’s essentially the same thing even though you don’t realize it. If you install a chimney draft excluder, it will stop hot air from escaping. It’s not permanent, so you can take it out whenever you want to start a fire.
10. Examine Your Exterior Walls to Prepare Your Home for Winter
Take a walk around your home to examine the exterior walls before the weather gets too bad. If there are cracks in the cement, it will let water inside as soon as it rains, which will expand when it turns into ice.
Large chunks of the wall will start falling off, and your home will become vulnerable to the elements. It’s better to get any problems fixed before anything terrible happens. It will cost a lot less money in the long term.
It’s Never Too Late To Prepare Your Home
Even though the weather is getting pretty bad, it’s never too late to prepare your home for the tough months ahead. Try to do everything possible to ensure your home lasts until spring finally arrives.
