Winter Home Protection Tips

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Winter Home Protection Tips

While you can’t change the weather, you can minimize some of winter’s biggest threats to your home.

Water intrusion and flood damage from heavy rain and storms can threaten homes and businesses, but you can take these steps to help minimize the potential damage.

Immediately after the threat of physical danger has passed:

  • Make sure the building is structurally safe to enter or reoccupy.
  • Turn off electrical power. Do not use electricity until it is safe to do so.
  • Ensure that natural gas sources are safely secured.
  • Secure the exterior to prevent further water intrusion. This can include boarding up broken windows, making temporary roof repairs, sealing cracks or tacking down plastic sheeting against open gaps in walls or roofs.

When it’s safe to begin cleanup:

  • Disconnect all electronics and electrical equipment and move them to a safe, dry location.
  • Remove as much standing water as possible from inside the building.
  • Begin to remove water-damaged materials immediately.
  • Ventilate the home as best you can with fans and/or dehumidifiers.
  • Contact a water extraction company, if necessary, for assistance.

By taking immediate action, you will reduce the amount of damage and increase the chance of salvaging usable materials. You’ll also reduce the amount of rust, rot, mold and mildew that may develop, and lower the likelihood that the water will lead to structural problems.

Bursting pipes occur when frozen water causes a pressure buildup between the ice blockage and the closed faucet. Pipes in attics, crawl spaces and outside walls are particularly vulnerable to extreme cold. To keep water in your pipes from freezing:

  • Fit exposed pipes with insulation sleeves or wrapping to slow heat transfer.
  • Seal cracks and holes in outside walls and foundations near water pipes with caulking.
  • Keep cabinet doors open to allow warm air to circulate around pipes.
  • Keep a slow trickle of water flowing through faucets connected to pipes that run through an unheated or unprotected space.

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Source: Institute for Business and Home Safety. IBHS is a national nonprofit initiative of the insurance industry to reduce deaths, injuries, property damage, economic losses and human suffering caused by natural disasters.

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