Winterize Your Home
Many disasters caused by winter weather conditions can be prevented by taking a few simple steps. Most homeowners’ policies provide coverage for ice dams, burst pipes, and losses from wind damage, snow or ice. There are several ways to prepare a home for winter and protect your most valuable asset from damage. These tips will ensure a safe winter, if you think you need to review your insurance, Vargas & Vargas Insurance ins here to help you!
1. Clean out all gutters – It’s important to remove all sticks, leaves and debris. This helps the melting ice and snow flow smoothly. It also prevents ice collecting and forming a dam, which can result in water seeping into the ceilings and walls.
2. Keep trees and branches trimmed – When branches hang over houses during the winter, they’re likely to accumulate snow and ice, which may make them break. Branches falling on homes can cause significant amounts of damage. They may also hurt people who enter the property.
3. Seal cracks and holes – Caulk all holes and cracks to ensure that melted snow and wind can’t enter the home.
4. Keep steps and handrails safe – It’s important to ensure that steps and banisters are sturdy and clear of snow and ice to avoid any to serious injuries.
5. Use insulation liberally – Homeowners should add extra insulation to basements, attics and crawl spaces. When heat escapes through the roof, it contributes to ice and snow melting faster. As the moisture melts, re-freezes and accumulates, it can cause a roof to collapse.
6. Keep it warm – It’s best to keep the thermostat at 65 degrees to prevent pipes from freezing. The temperature in the walls is always colder than the temperature in the house.
7. Call the professionals – The heating system should be checked and serviced every year to prevent fires. It’s also important to ensure that smoke alarms are working. Carbon monoxide detectors are another valuable safety feature that should be placed in every home. In addition to this, homeowners should have a contractor evaluate the home for structural damage. It’s best to identify and repair minor problems before they become a disaster.
8. Be familiar with shutting off the water – Homeowners should know how to do this, and they should know where their pipes are located. When pipes freeze, it’s imperative to act quickly. When going away for an extended time, it’s best to have someone look after the home or have a service professional drain the system.
9. Add an emergency pressure release valve – By adding this to a current system, homeowners will have a system that is protected against increasing pressure from frozen pipes.
Vargas & Vargas Insurance Agency Inc. 877-550-0025 Fax: 617-298-8355 vargasinsurance.com
