Weatherization Services Prevent Common Issues

Weatherization services can prevent common issues found within your home. Winter is a tough time of year for your home, and if your home isn’t properly weatherized, it can also be tough on your health. Frigid temperatures, snow, sleet, and ice, can wear your roof, windows, and insulation down, causing leaks and frozen plumbing. Repairing a damaged roof or plumbing can cost thousands, and what’s worse is dealing with a lack of running water or an exposed roof during the dead of winter. Luckily most winter catastrophes can be avoided with a few weatherization services.

Why It’s Problematic When You’re House Isn’t Weatherized

Without proper weatherization, your home is left exposed to all the nasty weather conditions that come with each season. Over time, strong winds, heavy rains, snow falls, and falling debris can wear and tear your home. The good news is that there is much you can do to protect your home from the destructive elements. Knowing how to prevent those potential problems with different weatherization services is the best way to start. Here are a few common issues to watch out for.

• Ice dams. When several feet of snow start to accumulate on your driveway, that’s when you need to start worrying about ice dams. Sometimes you can only do so much to keep the snow off your roof, and ice dams can form because of it. An ice dam is a ridge of ice that forms at the edge of your roof. It prevents melting snow from falling off your roof, leaving it trapped, where it can seep and leak from your roof and into your house. Leaking water isn’t the only problem concerned with ice dams, the collected weight of all the snow and ice trapped on your roof can end up doing some damage.
• Roof leaks and damages. A damaged roof leaves your home exposed to everything, including water leaks. It’s always a good idea to inspect your roof at least once a year, to check for any damages such as balding or missing shingles, cracks, and leaks. Your roof ages, and without any weatherization services done, it wears down faster.
• Frozen plumbing. Another terrible fate your home can face in the dead of winter is frozen plumbing. If your home isn’t properly weatherized and insulated, that makes your plumbing vulnerable to the freezing temperatures. Frozen pipes don’t just prevent access to running water; they can burst open and flood your home with water.
• Asthma and other illnesses. Weatherization services not only protect your home from damaging weather conditions, it protects your health. A home that’s not properly insulated can put you more at risk for catching viruses and other illnesses. Weatherizing your home can help drastically improve your indoor air quality, keeping any harmful bacteria and viruses out of your home.
• Overworked HVAC system. A home that isn’t weatherized poses more problems than leaky roofs and health risks; it gets in the way of your comfort. A house that’s well insulated, keeps all the wanted heat or chilled air circulating throughout your home. It also prevents your HVAC system from overworking itself and causing your utility bills to rise.
• Clogged and damaged gutters. The change of seasons, especially from fall to winter, can put a lot of strain on your gutters. Fallen leaves and other debris can clog inside, preventing any excess rainwater to flow away from your house. When winter hits, you not only have to worry about snow but ice, clogging your gutters and weighing them down.

Weatherization Services for Your Home

There are a lot of things that can go wrong with your house when it’s not prepared for the changing seasons. Luckily with a few weatherization services, your home can be fully protected and prepared for even the worse of nature’s fury. Weatherizing your home isn’t just for an extra measure of insurance; it can help you drastically cut down on your utility bills. Your health and comfort can also benefit from a well insulated home. Here’s how you can protect your house year round, no matter what the season.

• Insulate your attic. Your attic stands to benefit the most out of some proper insulation. It forms ice dams in the dead of winter, and it bakes during the summer. Heat rises, so adding a layer of insulation in your attic prevents expensive heat from rising and leaking out of your attic. A well-insulated attic also helps during the summertime, as it prevents the heat absorbed by your roof from leaking into your house.
• Seal any air leaks. An insulated attic isn’t enough to keep your home properly weatherized. Make sure to check throughout your house for any cracks that could be leaking out air. Check for damaged doors, windows, or damaged insulation and seal it with either caulk or spray foam.
• Add some weatherstripping. Not all cracks can be sealed with caulk, for the larger and wider cracks, you can seal them with some weatherstripping. Found at any local hardware store, weatherstripping comes in long strips of foam or rolls of vinyl and can be easily placed by hand.
• Insulate your pipes. Nobody wants a plumbing catastrophe, which is why it helps to go the extra mile and insulate your pipes. Wrapping a layer of foam pipe insulation, which can be bought at your local hardware store, helps to give an extra layer of protection come the winter season.

Don’t Leave Your Home Exposed

The weather outside is harsh, especially on your home, which is why it’s important to make sure your house is weatherized. A properly insulated home helps you to save on your bills, protect your health, and improve your comfort. If you’re ready to weatherize your home, then it’s time to call a contractor who can help you get started.