How to Prepare Your House for Freezing Temperatures

Old Man Winter is wet, icy, and messy. When flooding isn’t sending buckets of debris into your drains, ice is blocking your pipes. The season is notorious for bringing mold, water damage, and cracks into homes. Left to its devices, it’ll fracture your foundation, destroy your hardwood floors, and rupture your roofing. A winter-proofed home is a durable home.

A thousand different kinds of damage: a winter tale

Frigid temperatures perform an outright assault on your home. When icicles aren’t cracking your infrastructure, condensation is leaking down your siding and into your foundation. Ice dams weigh heavily on your gutters, and their sheer weight can rip them right away from your siding. Your caulk will be pulled from your windows, to boot, causing drafty cracks. To make matters worse, snow and ice can snap tree limbs over your roofing. The mechanical damage alone can rack up a heavy repair bill. No matter how dutifully you shovel away snow, ice melt will cause fissures and corrosion.

Roof leaks and gale-force winds are a destructive combination, so damage to those beautiful shingles is swift to follow. Your pleasantly-low utility bills won’t last under those conditions. Once your insulation has been compromised, your HVAC system will need extra electricity to meet its thermostat setting. In short, winter is an expensive prospect.

What temperature is too cold for a house?

The World Health Organization recommends indoor temperatures of at least 64 degrees. Any less can raise your blood pressure and cause other health woes. Your property is even more demanding than your body. Your indoor climate should never drop below 55 degrees, or ice damage will proliferate. Winter doesn’t limit its destruction to ice, though. Gales, leaks, and heavy piles of snow can occur at a mere 32 degrees.

Preparing a house for extreme cold

A functional HVAC system is the most obvious solution to icy winters, but even the most powerful heating technology will underperform if your house isn’t encapsulated by insulating features. R-value is one of the most important measurements here. It tells you how much thermal resistance your walls, attic, windows, and doors can provide. To prepare your home for Old Man Winter, you’ll need:

Gutter guards to prevent snow from ripping out your siding.
Insulation for crawlspaces and attics. The EPA estimates that air sealing can reduce your energy costs by 11%.
Thermally resistant windows: Triple glazing, weather strips, foam tape, and dimensionally stable frames will work together to insulate your windows.
Insulated roofing and siding: Cold climates rely on crack-resistant siding materials that form a tight envelope around your entire house. Your materials should be moisture-resistant and flexible enough to resist cracks, so cedar’s exceptional insulating powers aren’t enough. Fiberglass resists humidity and provides an R-value of up to 38, but vinyl is the material of choice for wet, chilly regions.
Insulated garage doors: This form of insulation can make your garage 12 degrees warmer. Wallboard and ceiling insulation will support those effects.
Pipe and attic insulation to prevent frozen pipes: Foam and rubber insulation performs well on pipes that are exposed to icy temperatures, but polyethylene achieves the highest R-value on the market.

Cold weather house tips before a cold spell

You can help your house to cope a little better with an upcoming cold front by inspecting its perimeter. Gutters should be right at the top of your priority list. They’re your home’s first line of defense, so when ice and snow strike, they should be ready to handle the onslaught. A thorough gutter clean can help, but gutter grates are far more effective.

These extendable systems keep debris and snow from your gutters, which allows them to channel water safely. While you’re outside, inspect your roof for cracked or missing shingles. Just one lost shingle can raise your odds of a leak. Finally, check the edges of your doors and windows for fissures. Cold air can sneak through the tiniest cracks and holes.

Plumbing tips for cold fronts

In the plumbing world, ice usually precedes a massive leak. To winterize your pipes, you should:

Disconnect and drain your garden hoses.
Wrap your exterior faucets in insulated foam covers. While you’re there, open and drain the valves.
Turn off and drain your sprinkler system.
Use foam insulation to cover all hot and cold pipes. Don’t miss your washing machine and dishwasher.
Stock up on electric heat tape or a portable heater to thaw out frozen pipes.

Winter cold fronts have a way of ruining your weekend plans, but they’re just as destructive to your home. Fortunately, there are several ways to winterize your property, and 1-800-HANSONS can handle many of them. We’ll help you to find the perfect windows, roofing, and siding for your climate. Click here for a free estimate.