You must protect your home from the brutal storms that can occur in the winter-time. Preferably, many of these tasks are done before winter hits. However, many of these tasks can still be performed during winter, if it is must. It is better to performed right before a storm hits than during one.
Here are some simple home safety tips for winter storms to consider:
Clean your gutter
If your gutter is clean the water can run through it easier. If your gutter is not clean, then water will back up and begin to freeze. This can cause damage not only to your gutters but to the inner walls of your home and to the roof itself.
You can clean your gutter by using water to flush out debris while standing on your roof with a pressure washer. However, remember to keep the pressure washer’s settings low to prevent the gutters from being damaged. Your leaf blower can also double as a gutter cleaner as some leaf blower manufacturers make gutter kits that fit their equipment. Cleaning gutters by hand is also an option if you have a bucket, gutter scoop, ladder, and heavy-duty work gloves. Finally, you can hire a professional gutter cleaning company to handle this task. These companies usually leverage cherry picker hire services to access your roof to clean your gutters, guaranteeing a safe and efficient job.
Knock down any icicles that form
Yes, icicles are pretty. However, they can be dangerous to your home. They can pull down your gutters because of their extra weight and they can do damage to the exterior of your home. Not to mention what it may do to your roof, if your gutters are clogged.
Inspect and nail (screw) any loose shingles/metal strips of roofing
You should make sure your roofing is secure. It doesn’t matter if you have a roof made from shingles or metal. Do what is necessary to repair any loose pieces, before those high winds starts to howl or before any ice can lie between the roofing and your actual roof.
Inspect Your Roof Thoroughly
We already mentioned nailing down any loose parts, and getting rid of excess snow, but you really need to give the roof a thorough inspection. It’s not worth taking any risks when it comes to the safety of your home and everyone in it. If you’re not sure how to do this, then you can always hire look into roofers to come and complete the job for you, and they will let you know if there is any damage, or anything that needs to be fixed.
Brush off any excess snow from weak roofs
Is your porch roof or home roof weak? Consider brushing off any excess snow from it if you can. Remember many inches of weight is going to add a lot of weight onto your home, which could cause your roof to collapse.
Secure outside doors such as attic doors
Make sure any doors that you do not use a lot such as attic or basement doors are securely closed. You do not want a high wind to blow them around, causing them to break.
Close all windows
As you are inspecting those attic and basement doors, check to make sure all those windows are closed, too. Any open windows can mean heat loss.
Inspect all breakers or fuse boxes
They will get a work out this winter and especially once temperatures begin to drop by winter storms. Make sure everything looks okay and there are no burnt wires.
Finally, remove objects from your porches that can blow. You never know which direction that could be blows in and you don’t want to risk window breakage.
Taking these extra steps now, may save you money and headaches when those winter storms hit.
