Cold Weather Underscores Importance of Home Maintenance

12/11/2009

With cold weather settling in across many parts of the country, it's more important than ever for homeowners to take the necessary steps to winterize their houses and to guard against seasonal problems like ice damage.

For example, a recent report in the Austin American Statesman offered tips like removing garden hoses from outside faucets and covering vents around a home's foundation. Exposed pipes outside of a home should be wrapped, and outside faucets should be covered with material such as rags or Styrofoam, adds the newspaper.

The Statesman also notes that when sub-freezing weather does set in, people should turn off water to washing machines and other similar appliances that may be kept in unheated garages, and to be extra cautious about the possibility of frozen and bursting pipes.

Elsewhere, the Conroe Courier newspaper in the Houston area advises people to turn off sprinkler systems in freezing weather and to wait 10 hours after temperatures have risen above freezing before using a water softener or washing machine kept in a garage or area vulnerable to cold temperatures.

Another common problem faced by homeowners in the winter is ice dams that can build up on a roof and cause expensive property damage. These simple preventative steps are especially important when considering that homeowners insurance policies will not always cover damage that can be traced to a failure to perform basic maintenance on a home.

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