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Oh, Minnesota winters – the period of furious snowfalls, cozy nights by the fireplace, and some of the most creepy cold temperatures you will ever experience. While the beauty of a winter wonderland is doubtless, severe conditions can be hazardous to your house. From frozen pipes to ice dams, the winter in Minnesota presents homeowners with a challenge to be ready and constantly vigilant.
Understanding the Challenges
Knowing the challenges of winter is the primary step towards securing your home as it provides the ideal environment for the family during those harsh months. Harsh winters usually signify the presence of a bunch of problems ranging from freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall to ice dams and burst pipes among others which can all cause damage to your home as well as hinder your daily life activities.
Recognize the challenges and prepare for winter by proactively tackling them and weather-proof your home. Winter season brings forth many challenges that require you to be well-informed regarding making the right call and implementing strategies to protect yourself and your loved ones. Coming up with an effective approach includes among other things, cleaning gutters to prevent ice dams, insulating pipes to avoid freezing, and maintaining your heating system for optimal performance.
To help you prepare, here are some essential tips to secure your home during the harsh winter months.
1. Clean Your Gutters
Cleaning your gutters before winter is very important and helps you avoid roofing problems like icicles and water damage. A stuffed gutter prevents water run anymore, which can re-freeze and make another dam. The melting and freezing of ice dams may cause your roof, gutters, and even the interior of your home to be damaged.
Tip: Make sure that you have gutter cleaning done before the winter. Think about installing gutter guards to prevent fallen leaves and debris from accumulating in the guttering, look for the perfect home remodeling contractors in Minnesota.
2. Insulate Pipes
The problem of frozen pipes is common during winter. It is not only inconvenient but also causes costly water pipe damage. Insulating your pipelines is a measure that ensures that they can withstand temperatures below zero.
Tip: Wrap the exposed pipes with foam pipe insulation materials or heat tape for the insulation, make sure such insulate the pipes in the unheated areas, such as the basement, attic, and crawlspaces.
3. Roof Maintenance
Ensuring that you get your roof inspected and winterized annually is of utmost importance for the home to be protected from the destructive potential of winter elements. Do a comprehensive roof checkup for the loose or irritating shingles then fix them before your house will be exposed to the rigors of winter.
Tip: Employ a professional roof inspector to determine the extent of the damage and fix or replace the roof promptly.
4. Protect Indoor Pipes
Besides the fact that there is a need to insulate the outdoor pipes, it is also very critical that you protect your indoor pipes from freezing.
Tip: Keep cabinets under the sinks open so that the warm air may circulate pipes. During very cold nights, keep faucets dripping to alleviate pressure and prevent blockage of pipes.
5. Reverse Ceiling Fans
A functionality that most ceiling fans have is the switch that can be utilized to change the direction in which the blades spin. By winter, the change of the ceiling fan direction from anti-clockwise to clockwise can serve the function of generating a warm airflow circulated in your home.
Tip: Change your ceiling fan to run at low speed and push towards the floor and away from the door, meaning the warm air from the ceiling will not be drafting.
6. Programmable Thermostat
Programmable thermostats can assist you in conserving energy and enable you to experience a cozy atmosphere at your house with ease during the winter season.
Tip: Make your thermostat smart and set it to lower the temperature when you're not at home or for a few hours of sleep, and increase it when you are home and awake. You will be able to cut your heating bills without sacrificing your comfort level subject to this arrangement.
7. Look Through the Windows and The Doors
Examine all your windows for the inconsistencies that may make them allow warm air to go out and cold air to come into your house.
Tip: Use weather strips or caulking to fill gaps on windows and doors as well. Let's give a thought to adding storm windows or doors to increase their insulation capability and prevent them from damage.
8. Prevent Ice Dams
Over the roof, ice dams caused by melting snow refreeze at the end of the roof preventing the proper drainage.
Tip: As regards the attic, it's important to maintain proper insulation as well as good ventilation to keep the temperature stabilized at the roof level. Keep a roof rake handy to remove snow from the top of your roof after each snowfall, this is to avert the heavy and large ice dams from forming.
9. Check Your Vents
Ensure that all vents which include dryer vents and exhaust vents are free of snow, icicles(long, thin spikes of ice that form when water freezes after dripping from an object in below-freezing temperatures), and debris to avoid any blockage that would hinder the appliances functioning and air circulation.
Tip: Periodically supervise and clean vents to ensure that air passes freely and to stop possible fire juggles.
10. Check the Fireplace and Chimney
The annual use of wood-burning systems during winter is nothing short of a routine for many citizens. So your chimney and the flue system better undergo the inspection and cleaning already if you have your fireplace or wood-burning stove.
Tip: Use the services of a licensed home remodeling contractor to clean creosote buildup off your fireplace or chimney, and make sure it is operating properly and efficiently.
11. Heating and Ventilation Network
A cooling and heating system needs routine maintenance regularly if you want it to run all winter long optimally and safely.
Tip: Request a standard HVAC inspection from a professional to clean, inspect, and replace the air filters in your furnace or heat pump before winter. Evaluate the condition of the HVAC appliances you have to find out any potential problems that need to be fixed. The profession will also measure carbon-monoxide leakage.
12. Divert Water
Diverting water around your house to protect from possible water damage, especially during winter when the snow and ice can result in melting and runoff. Practical water diversion prevents water from collecting around the base of the home as this causes flooding and other damages to the foundation and structural parts of the house.
Tip: Make sure that your home's grading slopes away from the foundation to allow for water runoff. Also, make sure to clean and lengthen downspouts to channel water 5-10 ft away from the foundation of your home. Installing a French drain or gutter extension could be another good option for redirecting the water away from critical areas. Inspect and maintain your drainage systems regularly to ensure that they are working correctly as well as diverting water away from your house during heavy rainfalls or snowmelt.
Conclusion
Last but not least, winterizing your house is a necessity to prevent damage and stay in a warm and pleasant environment for your family. You can save yourself from having to do expensive repairs and enjoy a peaceful winter season if you learn how to deal with harsh winters through proper maintenance and proactive measures. Securing your home against winter hazards is a matter of high professional importance.
If this problem concerns you too, do not hesitate to get in touch with Urban Refurbishment right now. We specialize in winter home maintenance and if this is what you are looking for, we can guide you to install effective measures that will ensure your home is safe and comfortable throughout the winter season.