Even in Florida, winters, though brief, are part of the yearly routine. Like most natural events winters can be dangerous, so it is important to be prepared. While you likely have the right clothing, what can be overlooked is how to prepare your house for those same conditions. If you have any major concerns, we always recommend that you have a home inspection of your home in Tampa done, prior to any bad weather. Preparing your home can save you a lot of hassles and headaches.
You need to make sure your house and its roof can survive snowfall or cold temperatures, for those states that don’t see snow. Consider having a home inspection done on your home in Tampa in order to check your roof to see if it can withstand the weight of heavy snow. Repair any portions of the roof that may leak, and trim back tree branches that hang over the home as they can also we weighed down by the snow. Installing storm windows or covering windows with plastic from the inside can also provide an extra layer of insulation. Also, caulking window sills and using weather strips on doors can add to the insulation of your home. For those very heavy winters, consider a home inspection to make sure no structural damage was done to your home in Tampa.
It’s the things you can’t see that end up being the costliest if forgotten during the winter. Water pipes inside or below the home can freeze when exposed to the colder temperatures of winter. Adding insulation to these areas that may house pipes like attics and crawl spaces can help keep those areas at warmer temperatures. Insulating pipes with pipe sleeves can protect exposed pipes as well. Any pipe that has water running through it benefits from letting cold water drip from the faucet. This movement helps prevent the freezing that damages pipes.
Once you have prepped the house for what cold weather it might see, it is time to keep yourself warm. If you have a fireplace, make sure to stock up on firewood beforehand so you never run out. When you aren’t using the fireplace, make sure to keep the flue closed to not let the warm air out. Always make sure you have alternate methods of heating and a back up generator to make sure that you still have power, if the worst were to happen. Long, harsh winters don’t have to mean that you can’t keep you and your house safe and warm.