As the weather cools down across the country your home should prepare itself for winter. Any preparation for winter needs to be done during the fall months. To protect your home from freezing temperatures we’ll be breaking down home safety tips for winter.
Winter Conditions On Your Home
Winter can take damage your home if you don’t prepare properly. Snow is water that’s been transformed into freezing water crystals. When snow is piled on your home then it can damage it when it starts to melt. Any water that makes its way inside your home causes water damage and mold & mildew to grow. However, one way to prevent snow from damaging your home is to shovel snow.
Blocking any passage of snow prevents it from building up and destroying your home’s structure. Snow can also cause your home’s water pipe system to freeze up. When the water pipe system is frozen then it blocks all water usage. This can be dangerous when it’s the middle of winter. Snow often blocks roads leaving many people stranded at home.
Space Heater Connections
The first tip for home safety tips for winter is to be aware of your electrical plugins. Never plug in a space heater to an extension cord. Space heaters are designed to reach hot temperatures to heat up your home. The cords on the space heater also get very hot when it’s in use. When a wired connection gets hot then it causes short-circuits in the wiring.
This is extremely dangerous since short-circuits can cause house fires. It’s best to connect the space heater to a wall plug-in. The home’s wall plug-in is designed to take on bigger energy demands safely. Also, review any wall plug-ins around the home and see if they’re functioning properly. Anything that isn’t working needs to be replaced immediately to prevent electrical fires.
Clean The Radiator
The second tip for home safety tips for winter is to clean the radiator. Some houses are equipped with a radiator to help heat every room. During summer the radiator isn’t much in use. However, during winter, radiators are always in use. Clean your radiator before the winter months and make sure that nothing is surrounding the radiator. Check your radiator to make sure it’s working properly.
Bleed the radiator as well to test if it’s working. To bleed the radiator you must first turn off the heater and then let it cool down. Then, grab a cloth to protect your hand and use the radiator key to bleed it. Unscrew the radiator valve until air starts to come out. Lastly, once bubbles start to come out then tighten the radiator valve immediately. Be sure to call a restoration company to service it if something is wrong.
Clean The Chimney
The last tip in home safety tips for winter is to service your chimney. If your home has a chimney then it’s important to service it from time to time. Whenever a chimney is in use then smoke, ash and soot travel from the bottom to the top. However, sometimes these particles get stuck and stick to the inside of the chimney walls. Over time this can become a problem because a blocked passage can cause house fires.
A congested chimney is a perfect recipe for a house fire. Any house fire puts your life and everyone’s life at risk. Any damages need fire damage restoration to return your home in perfect condition. These types of house fires can be avoided by getting your chimney cleaned. When the chimney is cleaned then it breaks down any particles that might be stuck.