Celebrating Christmas, playing in the snow, and wearing your favorite winter wardrobe are some of the reasons why winter is loved by many. However, as wonderful as the season can be, winter also brings its own set of challenges, particularly when it comes to taking care of your home. 

Some of these challenges include keeping that cold weather from damaging pipes or diminishing slippery walkways. To help you avoid the troubles that winter can bring, below we’ve provided you with ways to keep your home safe this winter. 

Ways To Keep Your Home Safe This Winter

Avoid Frozen Pipes

     Dealing with frozen pipes and the aftermath is taxing. When water freezes, it will expand. When you have ice on your pipes, it can add tremendous pressure on the pipes. Thus, causing them to crack or even burst!

You surely want to prevent this at all costs as it can lead to bigger problems like water damage throughout the house. And as you can imagine, the fee for such an event isn’t cheap at all. 

Avoid frozen pipes by maintaining warmth through pipe insulation. There are tons of different sizes so it is important to understand the correct dimensions you will need for your pipes.

If you are not sure, grab a string and wrap it around the pipe. Mark the string at the point where the string touches together. Once you have marked the string, use a ruler to measure the length between the end of the string and the mark you made. This will be your circumference.

Divide the circumference by 3.14159 to know the size of your pipe. You can use this to buy pipe insulation that will perfectly fit the pipes!

Another way to keep your home safe this winter is to drain the water from the swimming pool and the water pipelines before the cold days arrive. As we know, most swimming pools contain chlorine or salt water; thus, it is important to drain your water into a place that will not damage your landscape or harm your water quality. If you are not sure on where you are able to dispose of the water, look at your state laws for proper disposal.

If the worst case scenario happens and you do notice some cracks in your pipeline, Johnson’s has a selection of materials to replace them!

 

Make Sure Carbon Monoxide Monitors are Functioning Properly

Another way to keep your home safe this winter is to double-check your carbon monoxide detector is operating correctly. Little do people know carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is one of the winter hazards. According to the CDC, the risk increases when the temperature drops significantly and the home heating system constantly runs for a long duration. 

This is why having a working carbon monoxide monitor is crucial. You want to ensure any CO leaks are detectable before they spread and pose a serious danger to people in the house.

According to the CDC, The most common symptoms of CO poisoning are headaches, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. If you notice these symptoms, make sure that you leave immediately and call 911 or a health professional.

Some ways to prevent this problem after you have made sure that your carbon monoxide detector is operating, is to clean out debris in your vents and never use a gasoline powered engine in an enclosed structure. A annual maintenance of your heating systems may also help make sure that your heating systems are running smoothly.

Keep the Cold Air Outside

Besides ensuring your home’s heating system is working properly, closing air leaks throughout your home is a simple yet effective step to keep your home safe this winter as well as warm up your house. By way of weatherstripping, you can prevent the chilly outside air from entering your home. 

Now, which type of weatherstripping should you use? Different weatherstripping serves different purposes. For example, for moveable parts such as windows and doors, you can use door sweeps and flexible tapes to allow doors to still open freely. 

When you’re ready to purchase weatherstripping, browse our weatherstripping collection here.

 

Keep Your Sidewalks Ice-Free!

Icy sidewalks, walkways, and other paved surfaces only mean one thing: trouble. People can slip, fall, and get seriously injured because of it.   

In order to keep a safe home this winter, it is crucial to maintain a safe sidewalk by keeping your grounds clear of ice. Besides sweeping the ice using shovels, you can also use sidewalk salt to melt the ice and keep the ground ice-free! 

If you have a dog, you may notice that your furry friend trying to hold their paw up. That may be because the regular salt is irritating to them. If you have a pet, it may be beneficial to get sidewalk salt that is pet friendly!

 

End Note

Keeping your home safe and comfortable in the winter means you need to be well prepared and have the right tools and tactics to tackle the problems if they do occur. That does not always mean that you have to do all of that winter maintenance alone.

Our Johnson’s Ace Hardware team has the experience and knowledge to help you find the solution to any problems you may experience in your home. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you need personalized customer service. We’ll be more than happy to assist you!