Winter Problems For Utah
As I write this up, I look out the window and see the snow coming down. Winter is coming. Winter brings problems. Are you ready to deal with them? If not, you may find yourself needing our help fixing them. If you want to avoid needing to repair your home, here’s a few winter problems you should address.
Image copyright: Dennis M. Crookshanks
1. Ice Dams
Ice dams cause a lot of problems for people. When snow falls on the roof, then melts as the roof warms, it flows to colder areas and freezes again, creating build ups of ice. It can cause all kinds of damage to your roof, which leads to leaks, flooding, mold, and more. Preventing ice dams requires us to have adequate insulation and ventilation of your attic to keep it close to the same temperature as the roof so as not to melt the ice. If you’ve had problems in the past, you’ll need to get them addressed before the snow really starts to stick.
2. Freezing Pipes
Freezing pipes are a serious problem for winter. If the water in your pipes freeze, it expands and can burst them. When the pipes thaw, that water melts and floods your house. Flood damage is one of the worst things that can happen. Not only does it damage property, it can lead to infestations of mold and weaken structural foundations of your home. These will keep making problems for you months, or even years down the line.
To avoid freezing pipes, make sure your pipes are insulated. On nights that get particularly cold, leave your faucet running a drip so the water keeps flowing and doesn’t have time to freeze up. Don’t forget to check your outdoor faucets. This should keep you out of trouble.
3. Fire Prevention
Winter is the top season for house fires. Kitchen and grease fires are especially common because we’re all cooking inside more often. It’s not the only type of fire that you might need to worry about, though. Make sure you’ve checked the fire alarms for batteries, have an adequate supply of fire extinguishers, and follow fire safety procedures when cooking, lighting your Christmas tree, and lighting a blaze in your fireplace. Don’t forget to check your dryer vents for lint build-up. A little bit of precaution can make all the difference.
4. Check Your Insurance
If you check up on everything and fix up the issues before they become real problems, you should be okay. That said, better safe than sorry. Check up on your home insurance policies and make sure you have adequate coverage. If something goes wrong, having a good insurance policy will really speed up the restoration process.
Bonus: Carpet Cleaning
This isn’t a matter that can really hurt your home, but it is one that can help it look and feel nicer during the winter. You’re going to be spending a lot more time in doors, walking around on the carpet. Any grime and dirt from the summer is going to be rubbing against and cutting up the carpet fibers each time you walk on them. This damages your carpet and shortens its life. Having it cleaned now, before winter gets fully under way, will help keep it in good condition for years to come. Not only that, it’ll look, smell, and feel a lot better for everyone!
We’re Here If You Need Us
We hope you don’t need to call us to help you with anything we talked about here – except carpet cleaning, that we’ll happily encourage you to call us for. These problems are better off prevented than repaired. Still, things go wrong sometimes. Despite your best efforts, you might miss something. The winter might turn out more harsh than expected and do damage regardless of preparation. We hope it won’t, but if it does, we’re here to help.
Whether it’s flooding, fire damage, storm damage, or just cleaning your carpets, we’re ready to help. If you need us for anything at all, don’t hesitate to get in touch! We’ll be there to help you. We’ll work with your insurance company to make sure you get the most out of your money. That’s a promise!