Winter Prep for Homeowners

Hot Tips for Cold Weather!

Protect Your Plumbing

Burst pipes, ice dams, and poor insulation can lead to costly repairs in harsh winter weather. Burst pipes are the most common culprit of home water leaks in the winter, because as the water in the pipe freezes, it expands and ruptures the pipe.

Simple steps to protect your home winter:

• Install pipe insulation made of foam or fiberglass on all pipes, particularly those in unheated spaces, such as attics and crawlspaces.

• Shut off the water to outside faucets. Add extra protection with an insulated spigot cover.

• Disconnect any exterior lines like garden hoses.

• Shut off water to appliances if going out of town.

• Install water sensors that alert the homeowners quickly in the event of a leak. 

• Maintain an average home temperature of 68 degrees. 

Water Heater Inspection: The temperature of the cold water drops about 25 degrees during the winter, so water heaters have to work harder to heat up. Check the water heater for any unusual noises, faulty pipes or leaks, or schedule maintenance to drain the sediment in the tank.

Check Outside the House

Maintain Your Gutters and Roofs: Clean out your gutters and roof eaves, and if it snows, use a snow-removal rake to get the snow off your roof as soon as possible. These efforts prevent ice dams, which form from melting snow and water that run down the roof and freeze along the roof line and into the gutter. The dams in turn cause water to back up and pool beneath roof shingles, allowing water to leak into the home.

Inspect Your House Foundation: You should remove accumulated snow around the foundation of your house. When it begins to melt, it can seep deep down into the soil and infiltrate basement walls. Seal any cracks in your basement walls as soon as you find them.

Rake the Leaves and Trim the Trees: Remove any dead leaves, because if they are left accumulated during winter they will likely kill the grass and fester disease in the lawn. Also, don't forget to cut away dead or dying tree limbs wherever possible. Dead tree limbs are known as "widow-makers" for a reason. They can fall off the tree at any time, but are especially dangerous during windstorms or when weighted down by a heavy snow load.

Power Equipment Safety Tips

The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) reminds home and business owners to use generators and snow throwers (often referred to as snow blowers) safely and offers tips to help.

Review the owner’s manual: Check the owner’s manual for safe handling procedures. If the manual cannot be found, look it up online, and store a copy on your computer so it’s available to reference in the future. Review how to operate controls. Be able to shut off equipment quickly.

Purchase the right fuel: For most gasoline-powered outdoor equipment, only use fuel that is rated E10 or less. Often fuel stations are closed after a storm so buy gasoline in advance of storms. It’s best to use fresh fuel, but if you are using fuel that has been sitting in a gas can for more than 30 days, add fuel stabilizer to it. Store gas only in an approved container and away from heat sources. For more information on fueling properly see www.opei.org/programs/ethanolwarning.

Store and use fuel properly: Place gasoline in a proper fuel container and label it with the date purchased and the ethanol content. Store fuel safely and out of the reach of children and away from heat sources. Never add fuel to a running or hot engine.

Tips for Generators

Ensure portable generators have plenty of ventilation: Keep it outside. Generators should NEVER be used in an enclosed area or placed inside a home, a building, or a garage, even if the windows or doors are open. Place the generator outside and away from windows, doors, air intakes, or vents that could allow carbon monoxide to drift indoors.

Install a battery-operated carbon monoxide detector in your home: This alarm will sound if dangerous levels of carbon monoxide enter the building. 

Keep the generator dry: Do not use a generator in wet conditions. Cover and vent a generator. Model-specific tents or generator covers can be found online for purchase and at home centers and hardware stores.

Charge & use battery-powered generators/inverters properly: Recharge only with the charger specified by the manufacturer. A charger that is suitable for one type of battery pack may not be compatible with another battery pack. Follow all charging instructions and do not charge the battery pack or equipment outside the temperature range specified in the instructions. Charging improperly or at temperatures outside the specified range may damage the battery.

Plug in safely: If you don’t yet have a transfer switch, you can use the outlets on the generator. It’s best to plug in appliances directly to the generator. If you must use an extension cord, it should be heavy-duty and designed for outdoor use. It should be rated (in watts or amps) at least equal to the sum of the connected appliance loads. Make sure the cord is free of cuts, and the plug has all three prongs.

Install a transfer switch:  A transfer switch connects the generator to the circuit panel and lets you power hardwired appliances. Most transfer switches also help avoid overload by displaying wattage usage levels.

Do not use the generator to “backfeed” power into your home electrical system: Trying to power your home’s electrical wiring by “backfeeding” – where you plug the generator into a wall outlet – is dangerous. You could hurt utility workers and neighbors served by the same transformer. Backfeeding bypasses built-in circuit protection devices, so you could damage your electronics or start an electrical fire.

Tips for Snow Throwers

Check equipment: The snow thrower should be powered off when being checked over. Adjust any cables and check the auger.

Charge batteries: Locate the batteries for your snow thrower and charge them fully before it snows.

Clear the area: Snow can sometimes hide objects. Doormats, hoses, balls, toys, boards, wires, and other debris should be removed from areas you intend to clear. When run over by a snow thrower, these objects may harm the machine or people. 

Dress for winter weather: Wear safety glasses, gloves and footwear that can handle cold and slippery surfaces when operating the snow thrower. 

KEY SAFETY TIP: Never put your hands inside the auger or chute. Use a clean-out tool to unclog snow or debris from the snow thrower. Your hands should never go inside the auger or chute.Turn OFF the snow thrower if you need to clear a clog! If you need to remove debris or unclog snow, always turn off the snow thrower. Wait for all moving parts to come to a complete stop before clearing any clogs or debris.

Operate in visible conditions: Never operate the snow thrower without good visibility or light. 

Aim with care: Never throw snow toward people or cars. Keep children or pets inside and away from your snow thrower when it is operating. 

Use extreme caution on slopes and hills: Use caution when changing directions on slopes. Do not attempt to clear steep slopes. 

Know where the cord is: If using an electric powered snow thrower, be aware of where the power cord is at all times. Avoid tripping.

But wait! There's more...

Check out these handy winter prep articles for homeowners!

• 4 Tips to Keep Your Furnace Running Efficiently This Winter

• Keep Your Lawn Green During Winter

• Make Your “Full House” Energy Efficient this Winter