Follow this six-step checklist to help you stay on track
Is your home prepared for the onslaught of cold and snowy winter weather? Taking care of a few important home-maintenance tasks now could help you dodge a disaster in your home or on your property and avoid a winter homeowner insurance claim.
The key is to catch and clear up potential and emerging issues before they turn into real problems. You may be able to prevent, or at least minimize, troublesome damage and costly repairs. To stay on track, follow this simple checklist of trouble spots and problems to address.
Inspect trouble spots, bring in professionals, address issues
Starting from the top, our six-step checklist begins with the roof and gutters, continues all the way down to the basement, and then extends to your outdoor property. Let’s get going!
1. Inspect and equip your gutter, roof and attic.
Call in a professional roofer to have a look around to make sure your roof and attic are ready for winter, examining the structural status and functional capability of these areas.
- Start by inspecting your roof. Repair any loose shingles before winter storms can exacerbate existing roof damage and lead to leaks. A roofing professional can also assess the structural integrity of your roof. Can it support a giant pile of snow, or might it be in danger of collapsing? Tip: After a heavy snowfall, use a roof rake to remove snow and prevent ice buildup.
- Consider installing ice and water shields in vulnerable areas such as eaves, valleys and skylights, to prevent ice damming.
- Install heating cables to help melt snow and ice from roof edges.
- Clear gutters of leaves and debris so water can drain properly.
- Ensure your attic is well-insulated to prevent heat from escaping and melting snow on the roof, which can refreeze and create ice dams.
- Learn more about how to prevent ice damming.
2. Take care of your heating systems.
Winter is peak season for home fires. Taking a few simple precautions can keep your home out of those statistics.
- Have your furnace or heating system serviced ASAP (doing it before winter is preferable!) to ensure it’s in good working condition.
- Test your home’s smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and replace batteries to ensure they’re functioning properly. In addition to increased risk of indoor fires, winter also sees an increase in carbon monoxide poisoning, due to increased furnace use.
- If you have a fireplace and plan to use it this winter, have the chimney cleaned to reduce fire risk from baked-on creosote.
- Be careful with space heaters. If you must use them, use only those that have safety features such as automatic shutoffs, and keep them away from flammable materials.
- Learn more about winter fire safety at home.
3. Prevent frozen water pipes.
Frozen and burst pipes are a major source of home disasters. Inspect, repair and insulate your pipes. Call in a professional plumber as needed.
- Insulate pipes in unheated spaces such as attics, crawl spaces, basements and garages. Pipe insulation or heat tape can help.
- Keep your home heated, even if you plan to be away at some point, to prevent pipes from freezing. Set your thermostat to at least 55°F (13°C).
- Let faucets drip during extremely cold weather to keep water moving through the pipes.
- Make sure attics, basements and crawl spaces are properly insulated to prevent heat loss and freezing issues, including frozen pipes.
- Disconnect hoses from outside spigots for the duration of winter.
- Learn more about how to prevent frozen water pipes.
4. Prepare for power outages.
Winter storms and freezing weather can cause power outages, sometimes lasting for many hours, which can wreak havoc on your house.
- Make sure you have backup power. Invest in a backup generator to avoid damage (for example, from water leaks caused by frozen pipes) from freezing temperatures if the power goes out.
- Check your sump pump. If your home relies on a sump pump, ensure it has a battery backup in case of a power failure, to prevent basement flooding.
- Learn more about why you should have a backup generator.
5. Keep your outdoor property safe.
Probably the last thing you want to happen this winter is for someone to be injured on your property.
- Shovel regularly, clearing driveways, sidewalks and entryways to prevent slips and falls, which could lead to liability claims. Apply salt or other de-icing materials to melt ice and provide traction.
- Cut back tree branches that could snap under the weight of snow and ice, potentially damaging your home or property, or even injuring someone.
6. Review your homeowner insurance coverage.
- Contact your Bradish agent to double-check that your homeowner insurance policy covers winter-related risks, including burst pipes, ice dams, liability for slips and falls, and any of the other potential problems listed above.
- In the event you do experience damage to your home this winter, be sure to take photos of the incident, try to make an immediate temporary repair to prevent even worse destruction, and be sure to keep all your receipts for expenses related to temporary fixes or repairs. It will make the claim process go more smoothly. Consult your agent for more guidance on what to do after an emergency to expedite your claim.
Act now to prevent a winter homeowner insurance claim
As winter descends upon us, be sure to take precautions against the season’s snowy, blowy elements. Tackling the most common sources of problems will greatly decrease the risk of damage to your home and property. And you will significantly reduce the likelihood of filing a winter homeowner insurance claim. By taking a few basic steps and bringing in key professionals (as needed), you’ll gain peace of mind that your home and property are ready for whatever Mother Nature may blow at you this winter.
by Kris A. Mainellis
