Who doesn’t love a snow day? It looks like we may be getting one tomorrow here in Wisconsin!! Cuddling on the couch with a mug of hot chocolate while watching holiday movies can make anyone not want to venture out into the cold. Next time you find yourself in this spot, it will be a good idea to head out for half an hour to protect your home, especially if you want to sell in the future. Once your driveways and sidewalks are shoveled, check out these tips on protecting your home that you may not have considered.
Clear Your Vents: Make sure your furnace vents are clear of snow. Carbon monoxide could build up if your furnace vent is blocked. A blocked vent may also cause a hot water heater to quit functioning. Use a broom to remove any snow.
Uncover Fire Hydrants: If you live near a fire hydrant, you should take a few minutes to dig it out if you notice it is covered – this can help a firefighter if there is an emergency!
Unblock Ice Dams: Be sure to check your gutters for ice dams. When ice dams are present and water backs up, it slows the water melting off the roof behind it and that water then seeps under the shingles and into the house.
Sweep Off Hot Tubs: Always broom off your hot tub if you happen to own one. The weight of heavy snow can cause the cover to buckle in the middle.
Shovel Decks: If there is more than half a foot of snow, you may want to consider clearing it from your deck. Using plastic shovels can help prevent unwanted scratching on your deck material. Avoid using ice melter or salt as it could damage wood decks.
Clean off your Roof: There are only two reasons you’d worry about removing snow from your roof. What you should do about the roof snow depends on which problem concerns you.
The first reason to worry about roof snow is you’re worried about a roof collapse.
The second reason is you live in an ice-dam prone home and you want to prevent ice dams.
That’s it. If it weren’t for those two concerns, you could just let the snow pile onto your roof. Getting up on your roof in Wisconsin can be extremely dangerous. If you’re not comfortable doing so, please do call a professional for help.