Sep
13Prepare Your Home for Winter
Tagged Under : Winter
pDo you live in a part of the Untied States that has very harsh winters? If you do then you need to make sure that you home is completely winter protected and you are not running the risk of home damage. Your home insurance company will like to know that you are protecting your important investment. They do not want to have to pay out a lot of money in insurance, so anything you do will reflect well on your payments. The following are some of the things that you can do to your home on the inside and outside which can help. You do not have to spend a lot of money, just make sure you are offering good protection./p h2Inside Protection/h2 pHow is you furnace? A furnace with a clean filter, and no broken or loose pipes will not only give you great heat, but it will also pose no hazard. Broken pipes are something you must watch out for. Frozen pipes are also something to avoid. If ice builds up around pipes, they can crack and cause water troubles. Insulate those pipes properly. You will be using your chimney, so make sure that is cleaned. Soot damage from a dirty chimney can cause damage to your home as well. Ice build up can have a very bad effect on your home in general. Make sure that ice does not harm doors, or windows because that could lead to some costly repair. The way to solve this is by keeping your home warm on the inside at all times./p h2Outside Protection/h2 pWatch out for dead branches. Dead branches can fall off trees easily, which could damage your home, or injure someone on your property. Leaves can also cause damage as well. If you do not clean out your gutters from falling leaves they could cause water buildup. This buildup will damage your gutters, and could even leak onto the roof, causing all sorts of damage. If you have steps leading up to your home, make sure that ice does not freeze on them, and that the handrails are secure and usable. This is for the safety of you and visitors you might have. If you have a fountain on your property, make sure you turn it off. An icy fountain could lead to cracks, which could lead to water troubles./p h2Get Credit for It!/h2 pIf you do make improvements to your home, and it does help you through the winter, make sure you get credit for it. The home insurance company needs to see that you have done what is asked of you, and you are taking steps to protect yourself. Do not let them raise your rates, if you have put in the extra work. In fact, some of these improvements might even help you save money year round on your home insurance. It is a great thing that you did all this work preparing for winter. It would not be wise to let all this great work go unnoticed./p
