It is that time of year again, the Canadian winter we all know and love. Amidst prepping their cars and their closets for the upcoming season, there is one thing that most people forget to consider: their homes.

Your home, aside from being your largest investment, is first and foremost the shelter that keeps you and your family warm throughout the winter. What a lot of people don’t realize is that along with winter come a variety of different problems and hazards that can present themselves within your home.

Below, we’ve outlined some of these potential problems and hazards, and possible solutions, to help in keeping your home safe in the winter.

Potential Problems

• Frozen Pipes

Frozen pipes are quite common once the temperature drops below zero, and not only are they an inconvenience, but can also caused burst pipes, which are a lot more troublesome and a lot harder to repair. Try these tricks to help keep your homes pipes from freezing.

• Fireplace Issues

It is important to ensure your chimney has been inspected and is in good working order for the upcoming winter season, as moisture from snow from last winter may have caused a variety of problems for your chimney.

Any home that has a fireplace should also be properly equipped with working smoke detectors and an up-to-date fire extinguisher. While we hope neither of these ever need to be used, they are important to have in the event of any fire related emergency.

• Heat Related Hazards

Winter is a time of space heaters, electric blankets, and everything else designed to keep us warm. While these products certainly do us a service on the colder days, it is important to remember that they can also come with certain risks.

When using products like this always make sure to take caution. Keep space heaters away from anything sensitive to heat or flammable; the best place is the center of a room. With products like heated blankets or sheets, always ensure to turn them off when you are not using them, and especially when you are leaving the house.

Solution

Aside from prevention techniques, the best assurance is insurance. Whether it is your primary residence you are concerned about, or perhaps a rental property, having a proper insurance policy is the best way to protect yourself and your home. Insurance policies cover a variety of situations and are easily tailored to each individuals situation, meaning that you can find the perfect policy to suit you and your property.