Bitter Cold, How to Protect Your Property

Bitter Cold, How to Protect Your Property

The bitter cold has set in across the United States and many areas will see temperatures and wind chill below zero. To protect your property additional steps may be necessary to safeguard your plumbing pipes and systems to assure you will not have damage to your property.

Vacant Homes 

Have you had your home winterized and pipes drained? If not make sure you have sufficient heat on to keep pipes well above freezing. Special areas you should check are pipes in unheated areas like garages or basements, around water softening systems and water heaters. Toilets can freeze and so can drain lines and with faucets left dripping this can cause flooding and severe damage to the home. These pipes are prime targets for freezing especially if they are on an outside wall and there is extreme wind. Adding a space heater in these areas can prevent frozen pipe damage. Even if you have heat on in the home, pilot lights and heating systems have been known to fail so check and double check your home during these hazardous times.

Occupied Homes

Keep your heat on and do not shut off heat to rooms to your home. This is not the time to be frugal. Opening cabinets doors under sinks will allow heat to get to the plumbing pipes. Water heaters should be insulated and keeping a slow stream of water flowing from faucets will help keep pipes open and from freezing. Use your fireplace to supplement your heating source. If running a generator do not put it in the house because of carbon monoxide dangers and poisoning. Be sure to check those forgotten areas like garages and basements that have plumbing pipes and add an additional heat source. Do not place heaters too close to any surface that is combustible.

Additional Precautions

Bring pets inside. They are likely not to survive the below freezing and extremely cold temperatures. Their water and food source will also freeze.

Check on the elderly and shut-ins. They tend to conserve energy because of the extra expense of heating and can freeze to death in their homes. Take them a hot meal and offer to help pay their heating bill.

When going outside, layer your clothing and protect body parts. Cold, damp clothing can allow for frostbite to set in and damage tissue. It can happen in the matter of a few minutes.

Check to make sure walkways and outside steps are free of ice and safe for walking.

Keep your gutters clean so when snow and ice melt it will be carried away from the home's exterior components.

Bitter Cold, How to Protect Your Property

This information is courtesy of Clarksville TN Real Estate Agent Debbie Reynolds. When you are ready to sell or buy a home in Clarksville, contact me.