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November 6, 2019
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Winterizing your Home!

 

 

snow covered wooden house during daytime

 

Winterizing Your Home: Make the Winter Transition Comfortable and Seamless

Winter weather: Some love it, some hate it. No matter how you feel about the snowy season, nobody wants to be caught unprepared.  But when it comes to insurance, preparedness can save you a lot of money, and one big headache. In 2021 alone, frozen pipes caused an estimated $18 billion in homeowners’ claims. And that’s just one of the perils of winter conditions! This year, don’t let winter damages ruin your holiday. We’ll tell you how to prevent some of the most common causes of cold-weather blues. 

 

Getting Your Home Ready

Don’t wait for the first snowfall! There are plenty of things you can do to prepare before you ever see a flake. For starters, make sure your gutters are in good shape and free of wet leaves. When gutters are clogged, water cannot drain properly off the roof. And speaking of your roof, get your roof inspected too. Accumulated snow gets heavy fast! If you live in a snowy place, it’s important your roof is strong enough to withstand the extra weight without collapsing. The inspection can also catch any major leaks you might have.

 

If you’ve got trees around your property, it’s a good idea to have someone come out to canvas. Fallen branches can happen for various reasons: Rotting wood, weak branches, and weight of snow, to name a few. If you live in a windy region, that can increase the risk of branches falling. By trimming branches that look likely to break off, you can rest easy knowing you won’t have unfortunate surprises later in the season! 

 

Of course, it’s also important to stay warm inside. Before temperatures really drop, make sure your furnace is in good working condition. Without a working furnace, you won’t have heat! And it’s not only important to keep you and your loved ones nice and toasty — a good rule of thumb is never to let your home’s temperature drop below 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. This helps prevent pipes from freezing.

 

Check windows, doors, and fireplaces (if you have one) for drafts. By keeping these sealed, you ensure that all the heat you pay for stays inside where you need it. But how can you check? We’ve got a trick for you. Light a candle and walk past your doors and windows. If the candle flickers, that means air is coming in. No need to despair, however — you can insulate by buying under-the-door and under-the-window weather strips, or a seal that will slide into place and create airtight protection. You can purchase these anywhere from Amazon to Home Depot or Lowe’s.  

 

Getting Your Car Ready

 

Our Winter Driving article covers this more in-depth, but we’ll give you a brief rundown here too! First, next time you take your car to get serviced, have them check your battery, tires, windshield wipers and brakes. A weak battery has to work harder the colder it gets, and nobody wants to stall or break down in freezing cold weather. 

Make sure your tires have the traction to handle those icy, slippery roads — investing in “All-Season” tires is a must if your area gets lots of snow. In addition, check that your wipers aren’t getting streaky so you’ll never have to worry about visibility. Some wiper fluid contains an added de-icer, so think about getting some of that to prevent your windshield from icing over.

  

Here in Pennsylvania, it’s a law that headlights must be on if it’s raining or snowing. But no matter where you live, it’s still the safest practice. It’s important to make sure you clean the plastic headlight and taillight covers, and to make sure you have no burned-out bulbs. 

Finally, try to keep your gas tank filled at least halfway at all times in the winter. The lower the level gets, the more difficulties you risk starting the car in especially-cold conditions. Plus, you don’t want to run out of gas and end up stranded without the ability to turn the car on for heat. Keep yourself safe!

 

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