Home Preparation for Severe Winter Weather
Severe winter weather includes extreme cold, snow and ice storms. The weather conditions may result in being snowbound within your home and/or experiencing electrical outages. The severe weather may not always result in these extremes, but over the winter months your home may suffer damage due to the long exposure to snow and cold. You may also be subject to high utility bills if your home is not sufficiently insulated and sealed against the weather. Does this Spark an idea?
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Add Insulation
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Check the insulation in your attic and other accessible areas such as the crawl space. If the insulation is depleted or damaged, replace it. Wrap any outdoor water pipes or pipes in cooler spaces, such as basements or utility rooms, in insulation designed for pipes. This reduces the chances of your pipes freezing and preventing water flow to your home. Inspect the home for cracks and seal them with caulking. Seal the window and door frames with caulking as well.
Check the Roof
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Inspect the roof for soft spots in the decking. Walk around the roof. If there's an area where it feels like your weight causes the roof to sink a bit, the decking in that area may need replacing. The weight of snow on a damaged roof can cause the roof to collapse. Inspect the rafters in the attic as well, as these may need replacing.
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Check the Gutters
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Clear the gutters of all debris and clean them thoroughly, ensuring the downspout is clear as well. Consider adding heat cables or snow guards to your gutters to prevent ice dams from forming. Ice dams may result in water dispersing into your attic area, which could cause damage to the structural supports.
Install a Generator
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Though the initial cost may be high, a back-up generator will provide your home with the needed energy to run the heating system in the event of an electrical outage. Ensure the generator is accessible throughout the winter; do not place it where it may get covered by snow or encased in ice.
Prepare the Interior
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Maintain a higher level of comfort in the home while still keeping utility costs under control by winterizing your interior. Add insulating drapery panels to the windows and lay down area rugs on bare floors. Place inexpensive pieces of indoor/outdoor carpet in the kitchen and bathrooms. Use draft guards along the bottom of doors and keep doors to exterior rooms, such as the laundry room or garage, closed. Only open these doors when you need access to and from those rooms.
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References
Resources
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