Keeping Your Home Safe During Extreme Weather
Unless you live in a utopia, chances are you can experience extreme weather conditions. This could be anything from record-breaking cold to natural disasters. No matter what type of extreme weather you could experience, it’s important for you to do what you can to keep your home safe. Taking certain precautions can help you avoid damage to your home that could come with expensive repairs. Below are a few tips to help you keep your home safe during extreme weather conditions.
Keep water running in extreme cold.
If you are in an area that’s experiencing extremely cold weather conditions, you should keep your water dripping out of faucets that are furthest away from your water heater. This can keep the water moving throughout your pipes, which could help them from freezing over. According to Fix It Right Plumbing, “It doesn’t matter the age of your home or the condition of your water pipes; if your water pipes become frozen, they can burst. This creates a severe amount of water damage to your home. Add in the extreme cold, and you could be facing an expensive fix.” Experts not only say to keep water dripping from faucets, but you should also keep cabinet doors open under sinks to help circulate warm air.
Maintain your roof year-round.
Your roof plays a very important role in the safety of your home, so you should do yourself a favor and ensure it’s in good condition at least twice a year. Regular roof maintenance will allow you to find and address issues before they become bigger issues. For instance, finding a smaller leak and fixing it right away will avoid a bigger leak from happening down the road. Extreme weather conditions, such as extreme heat or extreme cold, can put a lot of wear and tear on your roof. If it’s already in poor condition, these extreme weather conditions will only make it worse, and the last thing you need is to replace a roof when it’s ungodly hot or ungodly cold.
Seal windows and doors.
If you live in an area that is prone to rain or hurricanes, sealing your windows and doors is another good way to protect your home. This can help prevent water from getting into your home and causing water damage or flooding.
Aside from areas prone to rain, it’s also a good idea to seal windows and doors if you live in an area that gets very hot or very cold. Doing this can help you keep hot or cold air from getting into your home through cracks in the windows or doors. Your local home improvement store will have sealers that make this task easy to do.
Invest in steel doors.
Steel doors are stronger than traditional doors, which makes them better for areas that see a lot of extreme wind or rain. Putting steel doors in the main entryways of your home, such as your front door, back door, and even garage door, can help keep your home safe during extreme weather conditions.
Replace air filters in your furnace.
Your furnace does a lot of work in the summer and winter months, so be sure you are replacing your air filters on a regular basis. This will ensure that the right amount of air flows through your vents and into the rooms in your home to keep them cool or keep them warm. Depending on the age of your home, you may also want to have your vents cleaned by an HVAC professional. This will remove any dust or debris buildup in your vents and allow air to travel easily. If you know it’s going to be extremely cold or extremely hot in your area, make sure to check your vents and replace your air filter. Cleaning your vents and replacing the air filter should be done regularly. If not taken care of, it will lead to poor indoor air quality and mold growth which further leads to many health issues.
Perform regular maintenance.
Your home is an investment and performing regular maintenance on your home throughout the year will ensure your house is ready to withstand the extreme weather that is coming your way. Take time to check windows and doors for cracks or leaks; check your foundation for cracks or leaks; check your roofline, water pipes, electrical, gas, and everything else that plays an important role in the safety of your home.
Extreme weather can be serious and having your home ready is a great way to keep yourself safe. However, while you can do everything you can to prepare your home, please always keep the extreme weather conditions in mind and put your own safety first.