Time to think warm thoughts  Cincinnati!

Service calls have begun as homeowners realize their homes and condos aren’t responding well to the rapid shifts in Cincinnati weather

Problems range from frozen pipes to sticky garage doors and windows.

The on and off again cold weather has fooled some of us into forgetting what cold and wet can do to a home. Time to think warm thoughts to keep your property disaster free this winter:

1. Just because your pipes haven’t broken in the past doesn’t mean that you don’t need to worry about them this winter.  The warm to cold weather swings prompt joints to expand and contract which in turn allows moisture to seep into areas and then freeze.
2. Leaving home for a few days- when in doubt about pipes located under sinks leave the cupboard doors open to allow heat in the room to circulate.
3. Better be safe than sorry!  If you’re not sure if your pipes might freeze  -turn on a slow drip from any faucet in the house and let it drip away.  This keeps water moving through pipes and while your water bill may a few dollars higher it’s less expensive than recovering from busted pipes.
4. Pipes located on exterior walls may require a space heater in the room to help maintain a slightly higher room temperature.
5. If you haven’t uncoupled hoses from outside faucets- do it now.  It’s amazing how much damage happens when hoses are left connected in winter weather.
6. Vacant properties really need to be winterized (call a plumber).
7. Households with humidifiers attached to the furnace- adjust controls for lower humidity.  Higher humidity inside causes the windows to collect moisture and maybe even form ice around the interior window frame. It takes about 24 hours for the humidifier to stabilize -leave the setting alone until we return to “normal” winter weather.
8. Frozen garage doors may be caused by something as simple as melting snow refreezing at night underneath the bottom of the garage door.   A quick sweep or shovel of excess moisture at the garage entrance may reduce or eliminate the problem.  Also gently pushing across the interior of the garage door will help open frozen door seams.

Newer homes are often better insulated against the cold.  But homeowners shouldn’t assume newer homes have few problems with frozen pipes and excess moisture.  Few proactive steps to prevent winter weather issues is smart ownership.

The hit and miss blasts of cold will eventually transform itself into springtime.  In the meantime think warm thoughts and protect your property- especially if it’s vacant.