Friday, June 1, 2012

Prepare Your Home for Winter

 The best time to look at your home, is in late fall, to make certain that your house is ready to take toll of the approaching winter as per roofing contractors Houston. As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure, so taking stock and preparing for the winter by mending anything required is now.

The question that pops in a homeowner's mind is where to start checking. The best place to start looking for repairs is to check the roof and the gutters. Look at the roof for any loose, curled, or missing shingles and for any signs of leaks for reroofing or repairs by roofing Houston. Check the gutters for any overflowing water. If you note any such problem you may have to go for cleaning, realigning, or replacement of the house gutters to the larger street gutters.

Next are the furnace, humidifier, insulation, and windows and doors that need a check for any problems. Make sure that the furnace and humidifier are clean and functioning properly as they may need some cleaning job or replacement of filters. A properly insulated house by roofing contractors Houston, along with properly opening and closing doors and windows, will not only prevents heat loss but also help saves some money on electricity and fuel bills.

Here are some recommended pre-winter checkups:
1. Gutter cleaning: This is one of the cheapest maintenance tasks that can be easily done. Clogged gutters can cause many serious problems such as rotting of wood, pealing of paint, damp and molting basements, and perhaps termites too. Clogged gutters are bad for a house and its foundation. The best times for cleaning gutters through the year are - once mid-fall, once after the leaves are down and once again in the spring.
2. Furnace cleaning: You can yourself check and clean the furnace but follow the manufacturer's instruction properly before the onset of winter.
3. Check the downspouts: It is likely that you will notice small heaps of large-grained sand that is a firm sign that very soon you will require a new roof. Roof shingles are usually covered with sand to save it from harm of the sunrays that start breaking off at the end of their singles life and prepare for a new roof.
4. Outdoor faucets: Mostly outside faucets freeze and the pipes burst due to a number of reasons like – wind's speed and direction, sunlit parts of your house, place and density of the shrubs, age and material the pipes and faucets are made of. It could be pure luck that you never faced a burst pipe or leaking faucets. Freezing does lay a lot of stress on the pipes and they get weaker with time. Check your faucets and pipes for any signs of weakening as a burst pipe can cause massive destruction to many walls, floors, and furnishings even before you notice the leak

Like mentioned at the starting 'Prevention is better that Cure' so it is always advisable to check for any problems that may later lead to a major re-roofing or roofing repair by roofing Houston.