3 Costly Mistakes to Avoid This Winter

It’s that time of year, folks — winter is coming. It’s going to get cold. Now is the time to harvest what is left of your garden, winterize your sprinklers, and cozy up at home with your friends and family.

That said, there are three huge mistakes that can cost homeowners thousands of dollars. Luckily, you can easily avoid these mistakes by properly winterizing your home.

First of all, make sure that you buy a $2 protector for your outdoor faucet. It’s amazing how much damage a little bit of ice can do. Ice can cause pipes to explode or leak into your basement. Just an inch of water in your basement can cost up to $15,000 to pump out and dry. All you have to do to prevent this disaster is buy one of those protectors and take your hoses off of your faucets.

Now, I know everyone loves Instagramming icicles, but don’t just take your pictures and leave the icicles on your roof. If there are icicles hanging off your roof, then you probably have ice damming issues. Basically, when the ice melts, the water has nowhere else to go. Ice damming can cause serious damage to your roof, which costs thousands of dollars to repair. Not only that, icicles are also safety hazards; it can be very dangerous to walk beneath some of those huge icicles we get here in Salt Lake County.

“A little ice can cause a lot of big, costly problems for your home.”

If you notice that you have ice damming, you can pay a few hundred dollars to have someone come out and steam the ice away. You can even rent one of those steamers yourself. I also recommend installing a little extra insulation around the eaves of your house, which is typically where ice damming occurs. Heat tape can also help you avoid ice damming and water damage, which will save you thousands of dollars.

Finally, don’t let cold air sneak into your home. If you add up all of the cracks in the average home, it’s like having a 3×3 foot window open at all times. Not only will that make for a cold winter, it will also cost you a lot of extra money in energy bills. Fortunately, you can head to a Lowe’s or Home Depot and buy some caulk. Caulk comes in all kinds of different colors, so find the one that matches your home and fill up those exterior cracks. That way, you won’t have all of that cold air coming in through your windows, stucco, or doorframes.