Tweet
I don't know about you, but where I live we're having some uncharacteristically cold weather. I'm talking snow, sleet, icy roads, the whole nine yards. This has led to terrible road conditions previously, and may lead to power outages later this week. In an earlier post I talked about winter weather safety, and I think now is a good time to revisit that!
Exterior Preparation:
-Rake away any leaves or excess foliage from your home's foundation.
-If there are any holes or gaps in your exterior walls, squirt expanding insulation or caulk into them. This helps increase energe efficiency.
-Drain garden hoses and insulate exposed water pipes if you have any. This prevents frozen water from blocking your pipes.
-Check the insulation of your windows. If you can feel cold air coming in that means your hot air is also getting out, and the window needs to be resealed.
Interior Preparation:
-To help prevent your pipes from freezing, open any doors that may conceal them like under the sink in the bathroom and kitchen. This allows the heated air in your home to also warm the pipes and hopefully prevent freezing and bursting.
-If temperatures in your area threaten to drop below freezing overnight, let the hot and cold faucets drip overnight. This also prevents frozen pipes.
-Make sure you know how to turn the water off just in case a pipe does burst.
Winter Emergency Kit:
In the event that you do lose power and heat, here are some things you might need to have on hand:
-flashlights
-candles
-matches
-battery powered radio
-plenty of warm blankets
-bottled water
-plenty of food
Exterior Preparation:
-Rake away any leaves or excess foliage from your home's foundation.
-If there are any holes or gaps in your exterior walls, squirt expanding insulation or caulk into them. This helps increase energe efficiency.
-Drain garden hoses and insulate exposed water pipes if you have any. This prevents frozen water from blocking your pipes.
-Check the insulation of your windows. If you can feel cold air coming in that means your hot air is also getting out, and the window needs to be resealed.
Interior Preparation:
-To help prevent your pipes from freezing, open any doors that may conceal them like under the sink in the bathroom and kitchen. This allows the heated air in your home to also warm the pipes and hopefully prevent freezing and bursting.
-If temperatures in your area threaten to drop below freezing overnight, let the hot and cold faucets drip overnight. This also prevents frozen pipes.
-Make sure you know how to turn the water off just in case a pipe does burst.
Winter Emergency Kit:
In the event that you do lose power and heat, here are some things you might need to have on hand:
-flashlights
-candles
-matches
-battery powered radio
-plenty of warm blankets
-bottled water
-plenty of food