The harsh winter weather can damage your home and lead to expensive repairs.
Preparing your property for inclement weather is critical to safeguarding it against winter-related damages. It significantly contributes to reduced heating bills while preventing pest infestations.
Getting your property ready for winter safeguards your investment and can potentially raise its worth. Discussed below is how to prepare your home for winter.
Prioritize Winter Roof Care
Your roofing system should be able to withstand winter weather conditions, including:
- Wind: Strong winds can blow away damaged or loose shingles. They can also cause old, heavy tree branches to break and possibly damage your roof
- Snow: A snowy winter puts extra weight on your roof, adding more pressure and increasing the likelihood of damage
- Rain: Prolonged heavy rain periods can lead to water lying under damaged or loose shingles or cause leaks. These conditions are perfect for algae and mold growth, which can weaken your roof’s structure
Before the cold season begins and any potential damage happens, ascertain your roofing system’s integrity by checking for rot or sagging signs. If the roof structure isn’t sturdy enough to withstand the winter season, a professional roofer, such as Delaware roofing, can help upgrade your roof. Examine your roof shingles and replace any loose, missing, or broken shingles.
Clean or Replace the Gutters
Accumulation of debris in gutters causes clogging. Since gutters are designed to lead melted snow and rainwater away from your roof and home’s foundation, clogging results in severe damages and issues caused by snow or ice. If your gutters are clogged, water might pool on your roof, causing leaks and water damage to your home’s interior. During winter, your roof is at risk of forming ice dams. Cleaning your gutters before winter sets in can help avoid most of these issues. If your gutters are damaged, consider getting them replaced. Since gutter cleaning and replacement tasks can compromise your safety, leaving it to the professionals.
Ensure Pipes are Properly Insulated
While frozen pipes are a common concern during cold winters, they can cause substantial damage to your property. Once water gets trapped in pipes and freezes, they can burst. Insulate the pipes properly to avoid freezing. In addition, ascertain faucets are dripping lightly during winter and leave cabinet doors open for warm air to circulate the plumbing. If you have exposed pipes in unheated areas, wrap them with heat tape or ensure they’re insulated.
Trim Tree Branches
Winter wind and snow strain tree branches, increasing the risk of even the healthiest branches breaking and falling over your roof. Trees with branches hanging over your home significantly contribute to debris accumulation on your roofing system and in gutters. As such, even with gutter cleaning, you’ll continuously experience branches and leaves falling due to winter wind. Trimming tree branches over and around your home can help ensure gutters don’t get clogged when ice and snow hit.
Install Window Treatments
Window treatments come in handy when seeking to keep your home warm and comfortable during winter. Most of these treatments are excellent insulators, helping ensure heat doesn’t escape from inside your house, allowing you to enjoy the warm indoors. This keeps your heating system from overworking to keep your home comfortable, boosting energy savings.
Endnote
Getting your house ready for winter is key to increasing comfort and energy efficiency. Prioritizing roof maintenance, cleaning or replacing gutters, trimming tree branches, keeping pipes properly insulated, and more can help prepare your home for winter.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Fred Felton
Content Creator / Editor
Fred Felton is a copywriter, editor and social media specialist based in Durban, South Africa. He has over 20 years of experience in creating high end content. He has worked with some of the biggest brands in the world. Currently Fred specialises in the wooden arts and crafts space, focussing on innovative wooden product design. He is also a keynote speaker and has presented talks and workshops in South Africa.
