When winter comes, it usually comes down hard, and if you are not well prepared, it could catch you flat-footed, and you will have a lot to pay at the end of it. There are many ways that people in cold climates prepare for winters. Some take vacations to warmer climates, and some simply decide to take the season head-on, but what of your home? How well do you prepare it for the biting cold and the snow pile up? The following are some of the innovative ways that people prepare for the winter season.
Reeling The Boats Inside
During winter, many lakes and rivers freeze up, and the last thing you would want is to have your boat or jet ski caught in that; it would be destroyed, and by the time things thaw up, you won’t have any boat to ride on. All the floating dock plans have to come to a standstill, and the boats have to be moved indoors to a shed or a storage unit until the warm season comes around again. There’s one thing you should never underestimate, and that is a frozen lake or river.
Drain Sprinklers and Insulate Outdoor Pipes
One major issue that many people in cold climates have to deal with at the end of winter is high repair costs for burst pipes caused by frozen water that was left in the pipes as winter was kicking in. Make sure you drain out all the sprinklers and insulate all the pipes. If you leave water inside the pipes, it will freeze up immediately and then expand, cracking and destroying the pipes. It saves a lot to be careful.
Check the Heating
It is impossible to survive the winter in one piece if the heating and conditioning system in the house is broken. To save yourself from this catastrophe, have the entire house checked by a professional to make sure that every heating system is working fine. Many of these usually last between 10 to 15 years, and as they progress, they begin to malfunction more often. Always get that checked during summer so that you don’t get hit by a surprise once winter sets in as suggested by fireplacelab.com.
Seal Holes and Cracks
Every hole and crack that may allow the cold inside has to be sealed well in advance. Do a proper check of the house and deal with anything that you feel will cause problems for you and your family once the winter season sets in. This includes the spaces between and under the doors and windows, the ceilings, and the roof. Don’t leave anything to chance; it is better to be safe than sorry. You can use caulk to seal those spaces under windows and door joints since they will not shrink when hit by the cold.
Restock Your House Supplies
Many shops usually remain open even in the most extreme winters, and you can always get the chance to shop anytime you want. However, you can save yourself the pain of having to rush out for shopping every day by stocking up on essentials well in advance. People hate moving about during winter due to slippery roads and the snow piling up on the cars and all. Therefore, if you can buy most of the things you need in bulk, you’d be well set to deal with the cold.
Cover Your Swimming Pool
You may want to cover your swimming pool if you have one unless you want to be met by the corpse of a dead animal when summer comes around. Leaving the pool exposed is not good as animals may fall in, and once it has frozen over, it may be a risk in the event someone falls inside accidentally; there’ll. Therefore, once the cold season starts to set in and the pool becomes unusable, cover it well on all sides and let it be until the cold is over.
Handle Your Power Bills Early
Having your power cut off during winter is the worst thing you can ever go through, there’ll be no lights and no heating. To stop this from happening, make sure you have paid your power bills well in advance or have the funds in your account ready for wiring at any time to the power providers. Check with your provider beforehand to know if they allow advance payments and how it can be carried forward if you don’t exhaust it all. Preparation is key.
Keep Your Fireplace Alive
You may want to get the firewood piled up in the storage room as early enough in large quantities. Aside from having a well-heated home, it always is a good thing to also have a good fireplace running through the night to add to the warmth inside the house. Check the chimney to ensure the vents are working well and that no brick is crumbling down.
Conclusion
Winter is an extreme season that requires preparation to stand a chance against it. Temperatures can plummet to subzero, and since human beings are not built for that, they are forced to come up with countermeasures. The trick is simple: be ready a month before the real winter sets in to avoid being caught off guard.