Winter Tips
Winter is in full swing and you may want to prepare yourself and your home. You don’t want to be out of supplies when the winter weather hits.
If you are a do it yourself type of person, make sure that you are prepared with shovels and salt/ice melt for when it snows. Be sure to check your shovels to make sure they are not dull or broken. If you have a snow blower re-read the manual and refresh your memory on how to use it. Also be sure it is good working order. If you don’t like shoveling or can’t shovel because of health reasons, you can easily find a snow removal company. Landscape companies often offer this service.
Stock up on supplies. Winter weather can be unpredictable and you don’t want to be racing to the store to buy non perishables. Often shelves get cleared quickly as many people panic that they may not be able to leave their homes. If you have a pet(s) make sure that you have enough food. You don’t want to get stuck and not able to get out of your home. Your local sanitation crew works to clear emergency roads first followed by secondary and tertiary roads.
Make sure that all outside water supplies were shut off in the fall. Pipes that are outside or near your garage are at greater risk of bursting.
If you go away on vacation, you may want to lower your thermostat but not too low. Check with your HVAC company ahead of time and ask them what temperate you can set it at. If you have sinks by exterior walls, open the cabinet door(s) to let the warm air flow in/out. You may want to run a faucet at a slow drip. This keeps the water moving through the pipes.
Whole house generators are becoming popular and can leave anxiety during a winter storm. Partial home generators that run on propane are also helpful and less expensive. If you home is equipped with one, ask the service company what they recommend doing before the winter season. Depending on your generator, you may want to have gas or propane readily available that can last your for a few days.
Finally, in case of an emergency know where you keep your flashlights, extra batteries, radio, and first aid kit. Also consider buying solar power devices that can charge tablets.