How to Protect Your Home When Temps Drop

When the mercury dips below freezing this winter, you’ll want to make sure your home is protected from frigid temperatures. Freezing winter weather increases the risk for ice dams and frozen pipes. There are a few easy ways to help protect your home when temps drop.

The low temperatures and the accumulation of snow on roofs is the perfect environment for ice dams to form, so watch for early warning signs as ice dams can be troublesome and costly if not treated properly.
What to look for:

• Icicles hanging from your roof or gutters
• Ice sitting on top of gutters, at the edge of your roof, or along your home’s siding
• Ice or water inside or around your windows
• If you suspect an ice dam is beginning to form or already has, call a professional to remove it immediately.

While there are long term measures you can take to prevent frozen pipes in your home, like having proper insulation and sealing any cracks or gaps in your siding or foundation, there are a few small, but helpful, things you should do during extreme cold spells:

• Bump your thermostat up to 68 degrees or higher at night to keep the temperature in the exterior walls above freezing
• Open cabinets to allow warm airflow to plumbing located next to exterior walls (or interior walls adjacent to unheated spaces, like a garage)
• Let cold water drip from the faucet to reduce pressure on the pipes even if the water freezes
• If you suspect a frozen pipe in your home, shut off the main water supply and call a licensed plumber right away. We recommend you avoid thawing a frozen pipe yourself – improper technique could cause the pipe to burst, leading to costly damages to your home.

For information on coverage, visit the GBW Insurance site or contact Zita Santos-Martinez at 732-832-4132

Photo and article courtesy of Plymouth Rock Assurance