As winter months are approaching in Canada, are you properly preparing your home for winter? If not, now is the best time to ensure it is ready for the colder months. Given the low temperatures and unpredictable weather, maintaining your home is vital. Below, we outline our key winter home maintenance tips and potential hazards to be aware of during the colder months.
Shovel and Salt Your Driveway and Sidewalk
One of the easiest ways to maintain your home in the winter and to keep it safe is to clear your driveway and sidewalk of any ice and snow. It’s essential to shovel your driveway in case of an emergency, thereby minimizing the risk of slip-and-fall injuries whenever possible. Even for simple errands, such as groceries, it is easier to move around when your driveway is clean.
Similarly, ensuring you salt your driveway or any surrounding sidewalks is an easy way to prevent accidents (and potential lawsuits). It’s essential to get fresh air while working from home, and one of the easiest ways to do so is by going for a walk. If the sidewalk surrounding your home isn’t clear or salted, it can not only be dangerous for you and your family but also for neighbours and others walking by. With Black Friday around the corner, there are many cost-effective and durable snow shovels you can purchase.
2. Remove Excess Snow From the Roof
This tip for winter home maintenance specifically applies to homes (or commercial buildings) with a flat roof. However, it is also a crucial reminder for homeowners with slanted roofs. Especially after a significant snowstorm, leaving excess snow on your home’s roof can be hazardous. Why? It can lead to the roof collapsing from the additional weight. One of the easiest ways to remove excess snow from your roof is by using a snow rake. This method works particularly well for pitched roofs. For any flat roofs, only remove snow yourself if the house is one level. Otherwise, we would recommend hiring a professional to finish the task.
3. Maintain Your Furnace Pipes
Due to the often freezing temperatures in Canada, it is common for furnace pipes to freeze up. This is a significant issue, as it can cause pipes to malfunction or burst, resulting in severe property damage. Specifically, pipes in interior spaces without heat, such as attics, garages, and basements, are most susceptible to freezing. Depending on the locations of pipes and vents in your home, there are a few easy ways to ensure this element of winter home maintenance. If any pipes (specifically water supply lines) are inside your garage, ensure your garage doors are secure whenever possible. This will keep heat inside the space, lowering the chances of any freezing on or inside the pipes.
Similarly, opening any cabinets will also help circulate warm air onto pipes. And if you and your family plan to leave your home for an extended period, be sure to leave the heat on. If you find pipes in your home that have already frozen over, here are three steps you can take to address the issue:
- Apply heat to the section of the pipe. Wrap an electric heating pad around the pipe, an electric hair dryer, or a portable space heater (keep away from flammable materials). As tempting as it may be, do not use a blowtorch, a kerosene/propane heater, a charcoal stove, or any device with an open flame. The high heat can damage the pipes or start a fire.
- Apply heat until you restore full water pressure. Check all other faucets in your home to see whether you have additional frozen pipes. If one pipe freezes, others may also freeze.
- Call a licensed plumber if you are unable to locate the frozen area, if the frozen area is not accessible, or if you cannot thaw the pipe.
4. Beware of Ice Dams
Another essential winter home maintenance tip to keep in mind is ice dams. Ice dams are small humps of ice that form at the edge of a roof during extreme winter temperatures. They are primarily a result of poor insulation surrounding the roof. Ensuring eavestroughs surrounding the roof are cleaned when temperatures begin to rise is one of the easiest ways to maintain cleanliness and prevent ice dams from forming in the future. Below are three measures to take to prevent ice dams from forming and to cure existing dams:
- Seal all points where warm air leaks from the living space into the spaces immediately below the roof sheathing.
- Insulate the living space sufficiently to prevent the conduction and convection of heat through the ceiling.
- Vent the space between the insulation and the roof sheathing, so any heat that does leak through is carried away.
5. Keep the Heat On and Turn the Water Off
As mentioned earlier, if you have a cottage or plan to be away from your home for an extended period, be sure to keep the heat on and turn off the water to prevent freezing pipes. As mentioned above, if your pipes freeze with water in them, it can cause them to expand and become damaged. The last thing you want is to return to your cottage in the warmer weather and discover that you have extensive damage to repair. This can be costly and time-consuming.
6. Adjust Your Ceiling Fans
We all know that cold air goes to the floor while warm air rises. Did you know that ceiling fans are a great way of controlling this? A handy life hack to save money in the winter is to adjust the direction of your ceiling fans to circulate air more efficiently. This is especially viable if your home has higher or vaulted ceilings. Having your ceiling fan spin in the correct direction can significantly impact the room’s temperature.
Furthermore, it is very easy to do. You can choose the control that allows you to switch the direction of your fan blades. To make your room extra warm and cozy in the winter, use your fans at their slowest setting.
7. Double-Check Your Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Detectors
It is always essential to make sure your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are in working order. However, it is vital during the winter. Many CO2 and fire hazards emerge during the colder months, ranging from furnaces to space heaters. Additionally, your windows are always closed in the winter, sealing in any harmful chemicals. Luckily, double-checking it is as easy as pressing the “test” button. Please ensure your alarms are free of dust and that their batteries are fully charged. It is a good rule of thumb to replace both of your alarms every 10 years.
8. Make Sure Your Home is Heated Safely
We all know how frigid the weather can get in the winter. With this in mind, it’s essential to ensure that you are heating your home safely to keep you and your family safe. Many steps should be taken before purchasing items to help heat your home. Not only will these steps give you peace of mind, but they will also help you save some money.
Keep Your Furnace Clean and Functional
Ensuring your furnace is ready to operate is crucial for staying safe. The air filter in your furnace should not be clogged with any dust or debris. Not only will this ensure the air flowing into your home is clean, but it will also help keep your furnace running smoothly. If your air filter is blocked or clogged with debris, the airflow will become compromised. This can result in your device overheating and potentially catching fire.
Use Space Heaters Sparingly and Turn Them Off When You Leave the Room
When using space heaters, you should use them carefully and safely. For one, never leave a space heater unattended, especially for extended periods of time. This is especially true for older models. Please keep in mind that many older models can be left on overnight, so it is also essential to consider how long you should use it to warm your space at a time. The same applies to electric fireplaces; turn them off when you’re not in the room.
You should also make sure your space heater is at least three feet away from any flammable objects, such as curtains or loose papers. Furthermore, ensure that your space heater is never plugged into an extension cord or power strip, as this can cause it to overheat or trip the circuit breaker.
Do NOT Use Your Oven to Heat Your Home
It is a common misconception that using your oven to heat your home is a safe idea. However, this is not the case. Never turn on your oven and open the door or light burners to heat your home. Not only is this method ineffective, but it can also lead to fires and pose a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning if your stove is gas-powered. Carbon monoxide can be deadly to both people and animals that inhale it, so it is essential to follow this tip for ultimate safety precautions. You may believe an electric oven is a safer option. Although this may be the case, it has been proven time and again that this method is ineffective and can still lead to fire hazards.
Use Your Fireplace Safely
Like space heaters, please make sure that no flammable objects are kept near your fireplace. Additionally, ensuring your fireplace is not left unattended, especially when you sleep, is crucial, as this is often how fires start. When you are done, make sure you dispose of the ashes in a fire-safe container a safe distance from your home. If your fireplace is electric, ensure it has been properly turned off and that the fan is functioning to cool it down.
Before using your fireplace, ensure your chimney is clean. Similar to your furnace, it is essential to keep up with regular maintenance. When you burn a fire, your chimney will collect soot as well as creosote. This is an oily residue that appears as a result of burning wood. When this collects over time, it can create a dangerous fire hazard. Ensuring your chimney is swept and cleaned at least once a year is a good way to keep your home safe and secure.
Winter Home Maintenance: Conclusion
We hope that these winter home maintenance tips will help keep your home safe and maintained during the colder season! As always, if you have any issues, home insurance claims, or questions, contact your isure broker for assistance or more information.
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