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7 Winter Tips for Your Home in Sharon MA

By
Real Estate Agent

There are some easy and inexpensive things you can do to stay warm, lower your heating bills, and prevent damage to your home in Sharon MA this winter. Here are 7 tips:

1. If you haven't had your heating system checked in more than a year (or ever!) now is a good time to schedule an appointment. Have the connections and thermostat checked annually. You can clean and change filters yourself. Regular maintenance on your heating system will help it run more efficiently (lower bills) and prevent emergency repairs.
icicles

2. Knock down heavy icicles building up over the walkway or stairs of your home in Sharon MA. You can use a shovel or broom to knock them down and away from the path. As they drip and re-freeze, they create icy patches on stairs and walkways.

3. You may be able to use a window insulator kit to stop cold air from entering through drafty windows. The kits can be purchased at a local hardware or DIY home center store. This is a special plastic material that you cut to fit your window. You create a "shrink wrap" seal by heating with a blow dryer. Follow the directions on the package.

4. Ice dams can cause a lot of damage to your home. An ice dam is caused by melting snow that re-freezes at the edge of your roof, rather than flowing into the gutters and downspouts.
As this dam builds up, any melted snow that pools up behind it can leak back under the roof shingles and into your home. Some people purchase a roof rake from a hardware store to remove the snow at the edge of the roof before it can cause problems. These are meant to be used while standing on the ground, and not on a ladder. Learn how to remove the snow properly so you do not damage the roof of your Sharon MA home. In the spring or summer, talk to a contractor or a roofer about what can be done to prevent ice dams from occurring in the future.

pipe insulation5. Pipes in your basement that run along the exterior walls should be wrapped in insulation to help prevent freezing. You can do the same thing to the hot water pipes that cross your basement ceiling to keep the temperature hot. It's easy to install pre-slit pipe insulation, which you can buy in the plumbing section of a hardware store or home center.

6.  If you are going away for an extended period of time in the winter, your pipes are more prone to freezing since there is no water flowing through them. Contact a plumber, or ask at a DIY home center to find about ways to prevent pipes from freezing.

7. Check to make sure your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working. Replace the batteries if you have not done so in the last 6 months.

Stay safe and warm! Remember Groundhog Day is Wednesday, February 2nd. We'll find out
Groundhog daythen how many more weeks of winter!

Nina Rogoff, Top real estate agent in Sharon MA 02067

 

Posted by

Nina Rogoff and The Results Team!

RE/MAX Executive Realty

781-883-3764

www.ninarogoff.com

Comments (5)

Ginny Gorman
RI Real Estate Services ~ 401-529-7849~ RI Waterfront Real Estate - North Kingstown, RI
Homes for Sale in Southern RI and beyond
Good advice before the blizzard of 2011 rolls in...stay warm, fill up your gas tank & don't forget milk & bread...i'm just hoping for no power loss...
Jan 26, 2011 07:54 AM
Charles Edwards Bentonville
Coldwell Banker Harris McHaney & Faucette 479-253-3796 - Bentonville, AR
AR REALTOR, Bentonville Real Estate Agent and Broker

Nina, what an informative and practical blog.

It was 50 degrees here today. M. and I both home with a wicked cold though and were not outside playing.

Jan 26, 2011 01:25 PM
Nina Rogoff
Boston, MA
Wix Websites for Real Estate Agents

Ginny...Here are the weather choices: 1. snow, 2. rain turning to snow 3. blizzard. When it started snowing this morning I thought "what else is new"!

Charles...ahh, a balmy 50 degrees! So sorry you are both sick and I wish you a speedy and complete recovery.

Jan 26, 2011 01:51 PM
Betsy Schuman Dodek
Washington Fine Properties - Washington DC Area Real Estate - Potomac, MD
SearchPotomacHomes.com

Nina, great tips and advice for preparing your home for winter!!! Stay dry - we got 5-6" last night!

Betsy

Jan 27, 2011 02:18 AM
Nina Rogoff
Boston, MA
Wix Websites for Real Estate Agents

Hi, Betsy...amazing how snow can be so beautiful and yet so annoying at the same time!! My kids are excited about their 4th snow day! I keep telling them they won't feel that way in June. :)

Jan 29, 2011 10:02 AM