Prepare your home for winter! Here are a few of the things you can do this winter to protect yourself against a potential flood and water damage! Follow these steps to ensure a safer, drier home.
- Clean your gutters – Once the leaves are down, remove them and other debris from your home’s gutters. Rinse the gutters and downspouts with a water hose and check to see that the water is being directed away from your home’s foundation or crawl space where it could cause flooding or moisture damage.
- Check to see that all garden hoses are drained and stored before freezing temperatures cause a potential water disaster!
- Be sure to have covers for your exterior faucets (hose bibs) that you can put on when there is a freeze warning. If you do not have a cover, wrap the faucet with some insulation or blanket material. If you are not planning on using the outside faucets it is a good idea to leave these covers on during the winter months.
- An enclosed crawl space will protect pipes that are run under the home from freezing.
- Reverse ceiling fans – this will push warm air down from the ceiling in winter keeping your more comfortable (fans should be turning clockwise.)
- This is also a great time to check all CO, smoke alarms and fire extinguishers!
Did you know? – Washing machine hoses should be changed out at least once every 3 years to help avoid a water disaster! Broken washing machine hoses account for a large number of home water emergencies.
