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Winter is quickly approaching and bringing colder temperatures with it. Vacant properties in colder climates need to be winterized in order to avoid costly property damage. Freezing temperatures can cause pipes to burst and household appliances to expand and crack.
While there are numerous steps involved in properly winterizing a home, in short, winterizing involves draining water from appliances and supply lines, and adding antifreeze to toilets and other household appliances. Plumbers can be hired in most areas to winterize homes and there are also numerous online resources for do-it-yourselfers. It is important to note that come Springtime, the de-winterization process is just as important as the winterization process.
No matter how you chose to do it, it’s crucial to protect your property this winter. The cost and time involved in winterization is no comparison to the expenses involved if damage occurs.
Ice Damming is another winter-weather concern. An ice dam is a ridge of ice that forms at the edge of a roof and prevents melting snow from draining off of the roof. Warm, rising air that escapes the home into the attic causes the snow at the top of the roof to melt and drain to the roof edge. The melted snow collects behind the ice dam where it can penetrate into the roof causing water damage to shingles, insulation, walls, ceilings and other areas of the home. The short-term solution to prevent ice dams from forming is to remove snow from a roof with the use of a snow rake. This can be dangerous, so it must be done carefully. A better, more long-term solution to prevent ice dams is to make the attic air-tight making it more difficult for warm air to flow from the house into the attic space. Increasing the amount of insulation also helps cut down on heat loss into the attic.
For more loss control tips on protecting your property and other topics, please visit www.hfhaffiliateinsurance.com (password: Lockton).