Winters can be extremely harsh. As winter approaches, homeowners should be taking steps to ensure that they’re ready for the season.
Winterizing a home mustn’t be a costly endeavor, but it does require advanced preparation and professional help, like heating services contractors, roofing contractors, and chimney cleaners.
The extreme conditions caused by winter storms cause a variety of damage to homes and equipment if not avoided. According to the Insurance Information Institute (III), winter storm damage causes the country billions of dollars each year.
Some Common Winter Damages
Freezing rain causes water to expand as it freezes to ice widening cracks on the exterior of a home. This exposes interior parts to the elements. If the snow and ice from freezing rains accumulate fast enough, it may lead to collapsing of the roof.
Hail breaks the glass, destroys roofs, and dents metal. While small, slow-blowing hail could cause less damage, large, fast-moving hail driven by strong winds is dangerous and causes a lot of destruction to homes and vehicles.
Strong wind can tatter shingles and siding leaving a structure exposed to elements. Strong winds can also bring down trees or tree branches and powerlines that may cause great disaster and destroy anything in their way.
Frozen pipes can burst, leading to water damage. The likelihood of pipes freezing and the severity of their damage depends on the pipe’s position and how cold it is. Well-insulated and protected indoor heating, is less likely to freeze and less risky.
Ice accumulation may lead to frozen pipes being riskier, reduce the building’s structural integrity and cause an increased number of falling trees, limbs, and power lines. Accumulation of ice can also lead to severe roof damage.
Falling structures, trees, and branches can land on people, causing injuries. They can also fall on a home, causing damage to the roof, walls, and underlying structure. Falling objects can also severely damage your vehicles.
Preparing your home before winter helps you avoid deaths and injuries, and loss of home and equipment, and makes your winter less worrying. But exactly what repair services should you hire before winter?
To help you answer this question, here is our compilation of repair services to hire before winter.
Sewer Line Repairs
When it comes to repair services to hire before winter, sewer line inspection and repair is the most forgotten task. Most people hardly pay attention to sewer lines unless there’s a problem.
Serious issues could, however, arise if you neglect your sewer line this winter. Here are some reasons why you need sewer line repair services before the winter.
Frozen sewer – The weeks before winter can be rough for sewer systems. The scorching heat causes sewer pipes to expand and contract sporadically resulting in cracks. Temperatures below freezing point cause sewer pipes to shrink and in the process, small cracks can turn into big holes which can be a mess in the home. It’s for this reason that you should check and repair sewer lines before winter.
During winter, tree roots burst sewer lines while in search of water due to the freezing of surface water. Check sewer lines before winter to fix any materials blocking the roots of the plants near the sewer line.
Waste disposal – Winter season is a holiday season. Much time is spent in the kitchens during Christmas and other holidays in between. As a result, kitchen drains face the worst strain from oil, grease, and small food particles. Overburdening your sewer line will only clog the drainage system. Unfortunately, this happens when guests are around. The worst time to want to clean the mess. That’s why it’s critical to inspect your sewer before winter arrives.
You surely want to have delightful and cozy winters with a soft, warm drink without having to deal with the bad smells coming from the drainage system. The reason why sewer line repairs are among the vital repair services to hire before winter.
Professional plumbers are trained to inspect and recognize potential issues from sewer line pipes in your home during the winter.
HVAC Repairs
Are you ready for the first cold snap this winter? Is your furnace ready to keep your house warm and comfortable?
We all rely on our heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems year-round. The demand for HVAC is however higher during the winter and summer months. Your home is a refuge when the temperatures hit extremes outside.
Your home, therefore, needs to be ready for whatever the coming winter will present. Heating and cooling repairs, HVAC repair before winter are the single most repair services to hire to ensure your home stays warm and cozy all winter long.
You surely don’t want your HVAC system to fail on a cold winter evening, forcing you to wear heavy coats while you wait for a technician to come and fix it. Heating and cooling repairs, and HVAC repairs before winter works to prevent such a circumstance from happening.
Here are several HVAC repair tips from our team that will help you ensure heating safety all winter long.
Replace the Air Filter – A HVAC air filter removes particles, such as dust, textile fibers, and pet dander, from the air flowing through the sensitive HVAC system.
Over time, these particles get caught in the air filter. An overly clogged air filter restricts airflow, thereby overworking the furnace. This not only damages the furnace but also raises your heating bills. Remember to replace the air filter every two months to prevent this from happening.
Air vents should also be unblocked the same day the filter is replaced. Clean air vents help prevent blockages and improve indoor warm air quality, easing temperature control throughout the home.
Test Your Thermostat – Make sure your thermostat is working by switching it over from cooling to heating. Have new batteries and ensure the thermostat is ready for your winter comfort preferences.
To save energy, switch your thermostat off while you are not around, turn it on and set it to a warm temperature when you’re back home. You may want to install a programmable thermostat if you’re prone to forgetting or if you consider adjusting too much work. This way, you can program your thermostat and it will reset to the most efficient condition all season long.
Schedule Professional HVAC Inspection – While you can DIY many HVAC maintenance processes yourself, only a skilled technician can give a thorough system inspection and tune-up. It’s a worthy repair services to hire for your HVAC system.
The technician will need to inspect and repair several HVAC components including Carbon Monoxide Detectors, Igniter Switch, Blower Motor, Heat Exchanger, and oil filter among others. They should also ensure the outdoor AC unit is well covered to protect the AC from rodents, debris, as well as ice and snow buildup.
Roof Repairs
Roof maintenance is a worthy repair services to hire before winter. The roof is critical to protect the interior of your home during extremely cold periods. It reduces the risk of freezing weather destroying the roof and causing damage to your house.
Also, the calmness that comes with knowing your roof is okay for all the winter freezing conditions neutralizes the depressing cold.
To help protect your roof this winter, the following are essential roof repairs you should prioritize.
Remove Snow Quickly
Snow must be removed from the roof as soon as you’ve spotted it. If you haven’t yet, purchase winter tools and be ready to use them.
While it may look fun and attractive to have a house blanketed in white, snow build-up on your roof can cause damages you’re not ready to face.
If any part of the roof is substandard, the entire roof could be at risk of serious damage. Remove snow quickly to prevent it from destroying your home. A Snow roof rake is a tool for this job.
Also, you may opt to install roof heat cables to heat up your roof and prevent snow from accumulating.
Repair damaged roof elements
Roof elements that need a local roof repair service include:
Shingles – Roof shingles are individual overlapping elements of a roof that are placed one over the other. Loose and broken shingles have to be repaired or replaced to prevent water from seeping under them.
Flashings – these are flat, thin pieces of metal used to ensure the roof is waterproof and diverts water from protruding areas of the roof. Damaged flashing should be repaired or replaced right away.
Gutters – Check open gutters for leaves, wastes, dust, and pine needles that can cause blockage. Repair and replace damaged gutters.
Trim Surrounding Trees
Also, make sure to trim tree branches that grow close to your home before the winter season hits. Snow and ice can heavily weigh down branches causing them to snap and damage your roof.
If surrounding trees and plants look unstable and highly likely to fall down, it’d be better to rid your home of the problem completely by chopping them down.
Plumbing Repairs
With plummeting temperatures comes the risk of pipes freezing and bursting. According to the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS), bursting pipes are among the most costly causes of facility damage during winter, leading to thousands of dollars of damages. Perhaps the most cost-saving repair services to hire before winter.
The damages emanate mostly from frozen pipes, clogged kitchen sinks, and water heater troubles among other causes.
It’s therefore essential to avoid this expensive hassle by employing the following winter plumbing repairs tips.
Fix Any Leaks
Leaks can be dangerous not only to your property but also to the health of occupants. You may need to hire professional plumbing repair to service any existing leaks.
H4: Insulate your plumbing system
Plumbing insulation refers to appliances that help preserve heat from within the plumbing system to ensure that water inside the pipes is less likely to freeze.
Plumbing insulations are relatively affordable. You’ll however need a professional to help you in installation.
Unclog your sinks
Oils, fats, and food particles poured down the sink can freeze when temperatures drop in the winter. This can clog your drainage system and cause major damage. To keep your drainage system ready for the cold season, make sure to dispose of kitchen waste appropriately and keep your sinks flowing freely.
Garage Door Repairs
Your garage door is a vital part of your home. The garage is mostly used in winter to store and keep your car and equipment out of the snow. Checking and repairing your garage door before winter helps you increase its lifespan and avoid surprises during the snowy season.
Garage door repairs, garage door spring repair services, professional garage door opener repairs are all important before winter.
Cold temperatures have a direct impact on door operation, and winterizing is something you can do to save big by avoiding damage and preventing malfunctions.
Garage doors have great repair services to hire before winter. The service includes:
- Insulate garage door and walls
- Caulk around your garage door
- Lubricate all moving parts
- Check and replace weatherstripping
- Fix broken garage door springs
- Clean the tracks
Water Heater Repairs
Your water heater is the heartbeat of your plumbing system and, therefore, its maintenance is one of the essential repair services to hire before winter.
Gettin water heater repairs before winter will help keep energy costs in check while making sure it provides hot water throughout the cold season.
You’ll need a water heater repair professional to:
- Inspect and repair the pressure relief valve, and the anode rod
- Flush clean the water tank to prevent corrosion
- Insulate exposed parts of water pipes
Furnace Repairs
The furnace is one of the most crucial home components during winter. A properly maintained furnace will provide maximum heat output without energy wastage and prevents harmful emissions.
Furnace repair companies come in handy and help:
- Replace furnace filter
- Inspect and repair your thermostat
- Program the thermostat for winter
- Inspect and clean furnace duct
- Unblock Registers, Baseboard Heaters, and Radiators
- Service your chimneys
- Perform a furnace safety check
Getting ready for the winter is as important as getting ready for storms. Welcoming the cold season unprepared can have repercussions on you, your family, your home, and your assets.
With winter snow, storms, and extremely cold temperatures, staying healthy and safe during the season can be challenging if you don’t plan ahead.
In this article, we covered repair services to hire before winter. Planning ahead will help keep your health in check, give you a comfortable winter, and help you save on the effort and cost of highly on-demand repair service to hire during winter.