Winter weather can wreak havoc on a home’s structure through damage from bitter cold temperatures to ice, water, snow and even mould. Much of Ontario experiences cold weather, with snowfalls interspersed with multiple periods of melting and freezing. This can inflict considerable damage on homes.

Some steps you can take to make insurance losses less likely during winter weather are outlined below.
  

Keep Entrances Clear

Keep sidewalks to your home free from snow and ice to protect visitors and delivery persons from slips, trips and falls that can lead to lawsuits.

Keep Pipes from Freezing

Keep the house heated to a minimum of 65 degrees. The temperature inside the walls where the pipes are located is substantially colder than the walls themselves. A temperature lower than 65 degrees will not keep the inside walls from freezing. Identify the location for the main water shutoff in your home. Find out how it works in case you have to use it.

If your garage is attached to your house, always keep the garage doors closed. The door leading to the house is probably not as well-insulated as an exterior door.

If you plan to be away for an extended period of time ask a neighbour to check the house regularly. You could also consider having the water system drained by a professional to keep pipes from freezing or bursting. If you discover that pipes are frozen, don’t wait for them to burst. Take measures to thaw them immediately, or call a plumber for assistance. If your pipes burst, immediately turn off the water and then mop up spills. You don’t want the water to do more damage than it already has.

Prevent Ice Dams

With all the snow and fluctuating temperatures of this winter, you may have ice dams building up, which can cause damage to your house.

An ice dam is a ridge of ice developing at the edge of a roof which prevents melting snow from draining off the roof. The dam grows in size as it is fed by the melting snow above it. The water above will back up behind the ice dam and remain as a liquid. This water will find cracks and openings in the exterior roof covering and flow into the attic space. From the attic it could flow into the home and damage exterior walls, insulation and the ceiling finish. This may lead to the growth of mould and mildew, which could have an adverse impact on the occupants' health.

Remember if water damage occurs to your house it should be completely dried by professionals to ensure mould does not grow. Mould and mildew cannot grow without moisture.

Ice dams are caused by non-uniform roof surface temperatures. These occur due to heat that comes from the house. The heat can move through the ceiling and insulation, or if there are cracks or openings in the ceiling, the warm air from the house will rise into the attic space and heat the roof as well.

How to Deal with an Ice Dam

Over the long term, you can increase your ceiling or roof insulation to cut down on heat loss. For more immediate action, you can remove snow from the roof. A "roof rake" and push broom can be used to remove snow. However, performing this work on or below the roof can be very dangerous so you may want to consider having professionals do this job. If you need to stop water from continuing to flow into the house, hosing with warm tap water to make channels in the ice dam will do this job. Work from the lower edge of the dam up. The channel will become ineffective within days, however, and is only a temporary solution. The ice dam can be removed from the house but both the roof and the remover may be placed at risk and again consider the use of a professionals.

Plan Ahead

Before your house suffers any type of water damage check with your insurance broker to see what your policy covers and to determine if other coverage is available. You will need to weigh the cost of additional coverage against the possible risk that will be insured.

for more information contact us at 1-800-419-3723 or email us at: info@blueskyfinancialgroup.com