How to Prepare for Freezing Weather

Install Weather Stripping, Update Seals, and Check Insulation

This is probably the most fundamental part of preparing your home for cold weather. Ensuring that your insulation is in good condition, sealing leaks, and adding or replacing weather stripping to doors will ensure that your home retains heat during the cold. You don’t want to deal with this during a blizzard, so inspect these things now and make any necessary repairs before the weather turns for the worse.

Protect Pipes and Prevent Ice Dams

Freezing temperatures and water are a damaging combination. Frozen pipes can burst and ice dams can cause water damage to the roof and attic. Preparing your home to prevent these is important as the weather gets colder. Pipes should be insulated and you should make sure that the roof deck is properly sealed and that heat sources are relocated from directly under the roof. Insulating recessed lighting is also a good way to prevent heat from getting trapped in the attic and melting snow on the roof–causing water runoff and forming ice along the gutters. Essentially, this step also comes back to sealing and insulating your home.

Guard Against Leaks

Make sure that as you seal openings and add weather stripping you are also regularly clearing these areas of debris. Before a winter storm hits and the temperature drops and snow begins piling up, clear window wells, walls, drains, and gutters of all leaves and debris. This will help prevent drainage problems that can cause runoff and leaks. After a snowstorm, you will also want to clear snow from these areas to prevent them from freezing over and possibly breaking and leaking. This is a similar step as the above mentioned to prevent ice dams since leaks can result from ice accumulation and its subsequent melting.