Your home is your biggest investment. You decorate your home, take care of it, and protect it from all kinds of tough conditions. It’s important to secure and protect your home since it’s one of your largest investments. Your home is up against a lot, and the best-known threat is the elements, like fire and floods. By far, winter plays a harsh reality for your home. Since the extreme cold can be unforgiving on your house, discover four ways to protect your home from the winter season.
Have the Experts Inspect Your Roof
Your roof is a vital piece of the structure of your home. A faulty roof means higher electric bills, leaks, and pricey repair costs. Can your roof bear the weight of an average of four feet of snow? According to USA Today, the average roof can withstand 20 pounds per square foot of snow. If you are in an area that experiences extreme winters, you should take extra care to protect your roof during the winter.
Inspect and Upgrade Your Pipes To Protect Your Home From Winter
A routine HVAC inspection on your complete plumbing system is important before the winter season begins. Busted pipes is the number one problem homeowners face when the temperatures drop below freezing. A frozen pipe can cause flooding in your home and damage your walls, flooring, and belongings. It can leave you going through the painstaking effort of cleaning up the floodwaters and repairing any damage done to your home. An experienced plumbing professional can thoroughly inspect and repair or replace your pipes during the offseason before a winter emergency arises. Make sure you consider it out of many ways to protect your home from winter season.
Inspect Your Windows To Protect Your Home From Winter Season
Your windows keep the elements from entering your home and leaving you with outrageously higher energy costs. Energy.gov estimates that 25-30% of energy is lost through windows. Going into the cold season, properly seal your windows, keeping any cold air from entering and warm air from leaving. You can add caulk around your windows if you do find any air leaks. If you have an awning or exterior window coverings, make sure they’re intact and ready for the frigid temperatures ahead.
Prepare Financially For A Winter Emergency
The best thing you can do to protect your home is to prepare financially for a winter emergency. An emergency fund should include three months’ rent and food to sustain your family during a winter disaster. On the other hand, use those funds for major HVAC, roof, or window repairs during a winter emergency in your home. In fact, excess moisture from melting snow on your roof, the gutters, and the exterior of your home can cause huge restoration costs if these areas don’t receive the proper maintenance before and during winter.
Also, note that your furnace works hard to keep your home warm throughout the winter. To avoid damaging your heating system and any fire hazards, keep your air vents clear since many vents will be blowing out hot air.
You can keep winter repair costs on your home low by conducting proper maintenance before the colder temperatures roll in. If you have additional questions on how to protect your home for the winter, call your local HVAC professional for more details.
