Getting Ready For Winter

By Author: Leo Nov
Total Articles: 883
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Put the shorts and t-shirts away and bring out the sweaters and jackets. Summer is over, fall is upon us, and winter is right around the corner. It's time to get yourself and your home ready for sub-zero temperatures and snow. Do you even know where to begin? I personally don't even want to think about it but I know I don't want to deal with a leaky roof and frozen pipes this winter.

My water damage professional guy tells me to winterize my home. Check my shingles, gutters and downspouts. Seal my basement and wrap my pipes. Service my water heater and furnace. He's even suggesting I dig a few trenches in my yard to help with drainage. Is all this really necessary? My house is pretty new and everything seems to be solid. Why do I have to go through all this?

Then, someone reminds me that no matter what man builds, Mother Nature can knock it down. It's the same water damage guy that tells me this so I am a little skeptical. He reminds me about Hurricane Katrina and the Tsunami in Japan. Those can't happen here. I live in New England. Then, he talks about the Blizzard of '78.

I remember the great Blizzard ...
... and I remember my Dad cursing because the basement had a foot of water in it when the snow started melting. His house was pretty new, too, and he thought it was solid. He also never hired anyone to help him fix it. Not too many folks did back then. People seemed to have an understanding of how to fix things.

I know better. My water damage guy (who asked me to write this) tells me what I need to do and what he can do for me to get my home ready for winter. I listen and I know that my holiday season will be warm and dry. So, I drain my outside spigots and make sure my gutters and drains are clean. I have him seal my basement and wrap my pipes and I call Joe the Plumber (not that one) to check my furnace.

What do you do to get ready?
Leo Nov is an editorial staff member of RestorationSOS.com, a leading service provider for water damage cleanups. To learn more about water damage and water in Basement, visit RestorationSOS.com