People living in Southern Ontario experienced fierce winter weather last weekend. Unfortunately, this severe winter climate with freezing temperatures and snow is expected to continue until the end of the month, and bring out-of-season chilling temperatures. The coldest days could reach below -20 C.
Environment Canada also gave a winter weather advisory and it could leave thousands of people without power.
How To Protect Your Home
A manager of the Insurance Bureau of Canada in Ontario, Pete Karageorgos claims there are numerous things homeowners can keep in mind. “Some of them could have been done before winter came.”
For example, you would have been better off if your home insulated properly beforehand, especially, anywhere close to the plumbing system, around the roof and outside walls, especially near the edge, in which the eaves-troughs are located.
A Few Tips For Homeowners To Make Their Home Safer
* Maintain your furnace and keep it in good condition. It will withstand the additional burden when the deep freeze hits.
* A properly insulated home will not stress your heating system as a drafty one will. Your energy bills will also be drastically lower.
* Have your property’s ducts cleaned and free of obstructions. This should be done every season as it greatly effects the performance of your system and prevents more-than frequent HVAC repair.
* In order to prevent pipes from frozen, when you go away, make sure you turn off the water supply and empty the pipes.
* Set up the carbon monoxide and smoke detectors. Make sure they work properly. If they are hardwired on the electrical system, check-up if the backup battery is not dead.
If you are staying at home, and not sure if your house is adequately insulated to avoid frozen pipes, slow and steady flow of small amount of water in the pipes could help to prevent them from freezing.