Snow and ice wreak havoc on more than just your commute to work. After stocking up in the supermarket, find out how to keep your home safe from a terrible mess when it snows.
Pre-Winter and Snow Prep Around your Home:
- Prevent ice dams on your roof and gutters: An ice dam occurs when snow gathers on your roof. Due to heating happening within your home, the snow will begin to melt at the top of your roof. This leads the snow to slide down your roof the refreeze. This creates a barrier of ice that traps water on the top of your roof. To prevent ice dams, you should make sure your attic is properly insulated and ventilated.
- Get your pipes ready for the winter: Wrap your pipes to prevent them from freezing, especially in unused areas like crawlspaces and attics. Try using foam rubber sleeves, fiberglass insulation, or heating tape. If you have a sprinkler system, make sure you drain all the water from the pipes. Finally, you should remove your garden hose and bring it in. Just like attics, not all garages are finished with drywall and insulation. Try to accomplish this project too.
Getting Your Home Ready For the Snowfall:
- Get the salt ready: When a big snowstorm is being predicted, it is a good idea to put salt on your steps and walkways outside to avert ice from forming. Make sure to shovel snow off the steps and walkways right after the storm, before the snow begins to melt and turn into slippery ice.
- Invest in a good generator: Not only will with help your during the winter weather but will also come in handy in the summer, during outages and strong rain storms. And just in case, make sure to have candles, matches/lighters, and flashlight on standby.
- Turn on every faucet in your home: This will help to avoid your pipes from freezing. This will be extremely helpful if you did not get a chance to accomplish the second bullet point above.
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