The beauty of fall can lull us all to sleep. It is a wonderful time of year in Canada when the heat of the summer subsides into the changing of the leaves and the cool, prevailing winds lapping at our doorstep.
Within this beauty and calm, however, is the understanding that the notorious Canadian winter is tapping at the gate. As a homeowner, one must be prepared for the forthcoming blizzard-y onslaught. Prepping and preparing your home / property for winter is a wise and worthwhile way to go into the doldrum of the cold months with a certain piece of mind.
In addition to the onus on you, the homeowner, in terms of preparing your property for winter, there is also the added stress of making sure that your family is safe and warm during this time.
Ironwood NW would love to take a few moments of your time and offer some time-tested ways to proactively attack old-man winter.
Whole House Care
- Check Those Gutters: Accurately maintaining and setting up your gutter system can be a life saver. The backbone of your water-defense system, gutters and downspouts need to be cleared of debris before the winter can come in and freeze the whole system. This can cause a multitude of problems, most notably allowing moisture to penetrate your home.
- Tend The Entire Roof: If your gutter system is the backbone, then your roof is the shield. Taking your time to participate in a roof inspection before winter comes is something that every able-bodied homeowner should do. Check for indents, clear leaves and dirt, and scan for any holes. You don’t want winter taking advantage of these vulnerable areas.
- Blow Out Your Sprinkler System: Using a pneumatic air compressor can really help in clearing out your yard sprinkler system in advance of winter. A rite of passage during the fall, anyone with a sprinkler system installed within their property knows the advantages and importance of this task. There are many a-tale of scant-minded homeowners who have neglected this commission and then proceeded to tell their buddies over a dreary-minded beverage.
- Detach All Hoses: Much like the tip above, detaching all hoses and like-minded parts ensures that you won’t have a flooded basement, in addition to the worst-case scenario of cumulative plumbing-system failure. Replacing busted spigots and faucets each spring may not seem like a big deal in the short-term, but having to deal with your entire system being broken is an entirely avoidable situation that any semi-attentive homeowner should, and must, avert.
- Call That Chimney Sweep: Although the connotation of a chimney sweep tends to bring to mind the 1800s and some dusty, old, Charles Dickens novel, chimney sweeps are still very much a thing. If you have a venting system which uses wood or gas, then calling upon the services of a certified chimney sweep is a must in the arsenal of winter home-prep.
In the event that the winterization of your home becomes too much or overwhelming, please do not hesitate one moment in reaching out to us at Ironwood NW.