We’ve all heard the term “winterize your home” countless times…
but what does it really mean?
As the days get shorter and the colder weather arrives, we’re all excited and prepping for the winter months.
When you start dressing warmer to protect yourself from the cold, don’t forget to start protecting your home by winterizing it.
When it’s cold out, water freezes and expands which could cause your pipes to burst.
This could cost thousands of dollars in water damage cleanup.
Pipes in the exterior walls of your house and poorly insulated piping are the most vulnerable to the cold.
By winterizing our homes, we can safeguard our houses so we can enjoy this winter with our families.
8 Expert Tips
To Winterizing
Your Home:
1. Don’t Turn Off The Heat If You Leave For Vacation.
Ensure your home is properly heated throughout the winter by leaving the heat on.
Turning off the heat will drop the temperature
allowing for the cold to get to your pipes which can cause them to freeze and expand.
2. Insulate and Cover Up Exterior Water Taps.
You can buy these covers at your local hardware store.
They are relatively inexpensive and can really help prevent pipes from freezing and bursting.
3. Shovel The Snow Away From Your Home, and Don’t Let it Pile Up.
By keeping snow and ice build-up away from the house (gutters, windows, doors, roofs etc.) it has less of a chance to cause damage when melting.
4. Install UL-Listed Heat Tape on Interior Pipes Close to Exterior Walls
Heat tape can help keep your pipes warmer by insulation. This prevents water from freezing and causing water damage.
5. Apply Weather Stripping
Weather stripping stops excess heat from your home through small cracks.
Apply weather stripping to your windows and doors to improve insulation inside your home.
6. Clear Your Walkways of Snow or Leaves 
Ensure the safety of your friends and family by clearing your walkway of snow and other hazards.
7. Remove Any Branches Around Your Home
Big storms can cause exterior damage to your home (windows, roof, doors) and can be deadly during the winter.
Removing branches can prevent them from damaging your home during a big storm.
8. If Your Pipes Freeze, Don’t Use a Torch or Flame to Thaw Them Out
Using a flame could cause fire damage and could damage your home and pipes.
To properly thaw your frozen pipes, turn up the heat, use a hair dryer or heat lamp.
By winter-proofing our homes, we can prevent any possible water damage from the dropping temperatures.
Hopefully, these quick tips help you and your family stay warm this winter and save on any water damage restoration costs that could occur from frozen pipes.
If you do experience water damage from snow or your pipes, make sure you contact a professional water damage repair service provider.