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When the weather gets cold we anticipate the sound of a crackling fire, but what happens when that crackling sound is a pipe? Don’t wait until it’s too late to winterize your home.
Insulating, caulking and stocking up on sidewalk salt early can help save you time and money.
Staring with the outside is the obvious place to start winterizing, anything related to water should be checked out. Water expands once frozen and may cause damage to sprinkler pipes, the main water service pipe, lines feeding evaporative coolers and gutters. Swimming pools, spas and other water recreation equipment maybe effected also.
Sprinklers
Shut down the main sprinkler controls if you have an underground sprinkler system, don’t forget to turn off timers that you may have set. Systems without drains should be blown out to avoid gathering water and freezing during the winter. Cover bibs with Styrofoam covers to protect them from low temperatures.
Pools/Spas
If you are planning to winterize your pool/spa yourself, drain water below the tile line and cover with an insulated top. Filters and other water equipment should also be completely drained and covered for storage.
Supply Lines
Any part of the main water lines that are exposed should be covered with insulation.
Ice Dams
The problem starts with uneven temperatures on the roof caused by heat loss from the building interior, a problem that may require extra insulation to solve. An attic heats the roof, melting snow from the top of the roof down. Spray-foam insulation is a simple and easy way to seal these gaps.
Keep in mind that dropping temperatures don’t only affect the outside of a property, pipes on the inside of the house need to be protected also, if you plan on going on a vacation keep the thermostat at 60 degrees. Gutters may also need to be checked as water gathers the weight can cause gutters to crack and fall loose from their mounting.
If you have any questions don’t hesitate to call me.
