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Winter in New England

 

Freezing temperatures, ice, snow and wind can cause severe damage to homes and property, especially when they take you by surprise.  Follow these helpful tips to assist you in preparing your property for our unpredictable New England winter weather.

Build-up of Ice and Snow on Your Roof:

When your roof is warmer than it should be, ice damming can happen.  Snow melts on the roof, runs downward and forms mini-glaciers along the colder edge of the roof.  The ice build-up then displaces shingles and gutters, sometimes causing freshly melted water to back up under the shingles, which produces expensive ceiling leaks inside the house.   

• Avoid a warm attic by properly insulating the attic floor.  This will also help you save on your heating bills.
• Provide for continuous ventilation of attic air.  Ideally, the attic air should be only five to ten degrees warmer than the outside air.

 

Frozen Pipes:

Here are some tips for preventing frozen pipes.  Pipes that have frozen in the past are obvious candidates for special attention as well as outside hose connections, indoor pipes close to an outside wall, pipes in a cold part of your house and pipes exposed to the cold from a crawl space below. 

• Properly insulate unfinished rooms, such as garages, where pipes may be exposed.  Consider snap-on insulation for pipes.  Insulate areas where vulnerable pipes are located but keep in mind, insulation alone won't prevent pipes from freezing if they're too exposed to the elements or the insulation is inadequate.
• Drain and shut off pipes flowing to the outside faucets.  Remove hoses from outside faucets.  The faucets can't drain properly with a hose attached and will freeze and break if the hose is left attached.
• If you are going to be away, resist the urge to lower your thermostat.  Open all interior doors, leave the faucets trickling and open cabinet doors to expose plumbing to warmer air.  Also, have someone check your house regularly to minimize the damage if a pipe does burst.

Consider a low temperature alarm if you are away often.  These devices activate your alarm system if the home temperature falls below a pre-set level.