Preparing Your Home for Winter

January 10, 2010

With the falling of leaves and the cooling of the temperatures, also comes time to prepare your residence for the cold season. Snow, wind, as well as the fluctuations of temperatures can cause severe damage to your residence. It is possible to avoid or to minimise water damage by taking some simple and advisable precautions.

What can be done to avoid…

Build-up of snow and ice on the roof?
Avoid having a warm attic by properly insulating it. This will also help you save on your heating bills.
Provide for continuous ventilation of attic air. Ideally, the attic air should be only five to ten degrees warmer than the outside air.
Have a professional roofer remove as early as possible the build-up of ice and snow on your roof.
Have electrical heating wires at the roof drain pipe(s) to prevent ice and water accumulation.

Freezing of pipes?
Properly insulate unfinished rooms that have exposed pipes (such as garages). Consider snap-on insulation for pipes.
Drain and shut off pipes flowing to the outside faucets.
While away, leave faucets dripping and cabinets open to expose plumbing to warmer air. Also, have someone check your house regularly to minimize the damage if a pipe does burst.
If you are away often, or have a vacation home, consider installing a low temperature alarm. The additional cost is approximately $150 plus monitoring fees, if applicable. These devices activate your alarm system if the home temperature falls below a pre-set level.

Heating system problems?
Have furnaces, boilers and water heaters serviced at least once a year.
Keep plenty of space between space heaters and household objects.
Clean chimneys and flues at least once a year.

Did you know?
The major cause of residential damages in Canada is water. Freezing of pipes and roof water infiltration are the most frequent scenarios. By taking active and preventative measures, costly and sometimes irreparable water damage can be avoided altogether.

Chubb refers to the Chubb Insurance Company of Canada a division of the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies.

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