Tips to prepare your home for Winter

Every year it seems that winter comes upon us much too fast, and before you know it you are breaking open the storage containers looking for your favorite pair of hats and gloves. Without proper preparation for the cold winter months, it leads to many head colds and illness, such miserable experiences. The same goes for your management properties, if a property owner does not prepare accordingly for the long, cold months ahead that are sure to provide wear to any property, you could be in for a long winter!

Take measures today to prepare your property and to minimize the damages and injuries often experienced in these cold winter months. Injuries increase in winter due to slips, trips and falls. Take action now to protect your property from winter-related damages and injuries. Preventative maintenance helps to avoid costly emergency repair bills, unnecessary wear and tear on your property.

PINNACLE GROUP offers tips to prepare your home for Winter as below:

Building Exterior

• Roof: inspect and repair. Seal around vents and other protrusions to prevent roof leaks.
• Walls and attic: Insulate
• Doors and windows: Weather-strip
• Gutters and downspouts: Remove all obstructions and make sure they are properly secured.
• Exterior water lines: Drain and winterize to prevent pipes from freezing.
• Drains: Clear debris so that water drains away from your property.
• Chimney: Have chimney and flue inspected and cleaned
• Trees: Inspect trees near structures and walk areas and remove unsafe branches.
• Examine wooden window frames for signs of rot or decay. Repair or replace framing to maintain structural integrity.
• Regular painting of cast iron is essential to prevent rust.

Building Interior

• Furnaces: Inspect, tune-up, check filters, check venting and assure property clearances to combustibles.
• Central Heating checked and radiators bled
• Boiler serviced: A poorly maintained boiler wastes more energy and costs more, and it also runs the risk of leaking carbon monoxide.
• Wood-burning stoves and chimneys: Inspected for safe use.
• Interior pipes: Protect from freezing. Be very careful if attempting to thaw a frozen pipe.
• Alarms: Test all fire, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
• Check your door sweeps and doors for proper closing

Fire Protection Systems

• Sprinkler pipes: Protect any sprinkler pipes that are exposed to freezing temperatures to protect from freezing.
• Antifreeze systems: Have antifreeze systems been tested for adequate concentration in the past year?
• Sprinkler system: Make sure the system is currently serviced, operational and ready for winter.
• Connections: Keep hydrants, valves and standpipe connections accessible and marked.

Slip, Trip and Fall Prevention

• Keep footpaths and parking space free of ice and snow accumulations.
• Be prepared for ice with salt, ice melt and shovels. If you have a snow blower, is it ready for use?
• Check exterior lighting, especially those illuminating walking surfaces.
• Eliminate water drainage across key walking areas from downspouts and roofs.
• Control wet walking surfaces inside and out with appropriate mats and warning signs.
• Decking and block paving jet washed to avoid slips and spills
• Clean and dry patio furniture. Cover with a heavy tarp or store inside a shed or garage to protect it from the elements.
• Aerial checked secure.

Emergency Preparations

• Create a plan for loss of power, including considerations for maintaining heat and preventing frozen pipes.
• Is your generator ready for use? Remember to operate generators only outdoors and to store fuel in safe manner.
• Use caution when burning candles. Many fires are caused by use of candles.
• Check with your home insurance company to see if you are covered for flood damage.

Need help with any of the above?

We are a 24/7 property maintenance, repair and cleaning company with over 15 years of experience. We service in and around of Co Limerick, Galway, Kerry, Tipperary and its surrounding environment.

Contact us at PINNACLE GROUP:

(061) 40 95 96 / (087) 96 222 22

7 Upper Gerald Griffin Street, Limerick