Taking care of your home in winters

Winters are harsh in Canada and a single winter storm can cause a lot of damage. If you want to avoid costly repairs, make sure that your home is ready for the winter. It isn’t always easy to know what you can do now to help prepare and protect your property from the cold weather.

Some of the tips are as follows:

1. Check Your Gutters and Drainage You want to be ready with increased rainfall that comes with winter. Well maintained gutters can reduce the need to replace them and the chance of roof damage. A clogged gutter can overflow and break and also fill with ice. Check your basement for water damage stains and your attic for mildew. If water is getting back into the foundation, your attic and basement will start showing signs of damp. To fix this, try extending your downspout to direct the water further away.

2. Test Your Sump Pump Sump pumps act as the last line of defense against condensation buildup, floods, and water from drains. Test the pump before winter hits. You want to make sure it works; otherwise, you could end up with a flooded basement and foundation damage.

3. Check Your Window Wells Window wells are a great way to let natural light into your basement and provide ventilation. They also help keep soil away from the window fixtures. But if they are not maintained well, they can put your basement at risk. Before winter sets in, check your window wells. Inspect the liner and replace any that have become loose.

4. Clean Your Dryer Vents A dryer is usually used more in colder months but they can be a fire hazard. Make sure to remove built-up lint from the dryer to reduce the fire risk and improve your energy efficiency. First thing, clean the lint filter. Next, clean the lint vents. You can find these at the back of most dryers.

5. Check Your Electrical System Your house’s electrical system becomes even more crucial in winter months with cold weather and days that stay dark for a longer time. make sure that your electrical maintenance tuned- up Before that cold weather sets in. Check the main service panel and inspect the breaker wires. It could be worthwhile to get a professional to inspect it is something you are not comfortable doing it yourself.

6. Avoid Ice Dams In freezing conditions, ice dams can form at the edge of your roof. They prevent melting snow from draining properly. The water can leak into your roof and cause damage to ceilings, insulation, and walls. To prevent ice dams from forming, keep the entire roof at the same temperature. It can be done by increasing ventilation and adding sufficient insulation. Make sure to seal off every possible air leak that might warm the underside of the roof.

7. Seal Leaky Doors and Windows Check your windows and doors. There should not be a gap between the seals. You can new weather- stripping to old windows. It is a good idea t add weather-stripping to your door as well and check for air leaks everywhere. Caulk any gaps with exterior latex caulk if you feed a draft coming in from the exterior trim the door frame.

8. Weatherproof Exterior Pipes Freezing temperatures can cause serious problems for your external pipes. Frozen pipes can crack, and once they thaw they can burst and lead to serious structural damage due to flooding. Turn off your external pipes at the mains, and make sure they are fully drained. Exterior pipes and pipes found in the basement can be insulted with insulating tape for extra protection. It might be a good idea to keep a list of reliable plumbers at hand in case one if required at odd hours in winter.

9. Prepare for Winter Storms Keep batteries at hand for flashlights in case of power outages. Keeping a solar-powered or battery-operated radio in your home can also be helpful in case all cellphone reception goes down. Keep snow shovels, gloves, and window scrapers handy.