Winterize Your Home Now

​(BPT) - While temperatures across the country are still mild, major snow fall in some parts of the country has given some Americans a bitter taste of what to expect this winter. Depending on where you live, winter may mean cooler, rainy days or lake-effect snow with four feet of the white stuff at your door.

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Every fall, homeowners across the country take all the precautionary steps to winterize their homes to protect against burst water pipes as well as improve their overall comfort throughout the colder months. Winterizing your home goes beyond just ensuring snow and chills stay out. Many people assume that winterizing their home is an unnecessary and burdensome task; however, the benefits make it obvious how important it can be. There are other simple steps you can take, but these three will help ensure that your home is adequately prepared for the harsher months ahead.

1. Reduce the risk of water damage - Beyond damage sustained from heavy rainfall, water damage can occur as a result of ice dam formation. Ice dams forming on your roof as well as ground snow melt near vulnerable basement windows can cause significant (and often unseen) damage to your home, which can result in costly repairs. Replacing traditional attic insulation with open-cell spray foam insulation can help mitigate air loss through your home's roof, thereby reducing the risk of ice dams forming while also helping to keep all that expensively conditioned air inside your home, keeping you and your family comfortable. Closed-cell spray foam insulation installed in basements can help play a role in reducing the risk of water entering your home. FEMA has identified this insulation as a flood-resistant material.

2. Reducing the prevalence of drafts - Cold spots and drafts throughout your home can literally make you shudder. It is estimated by the Air Barrier Association of America (ABAA) that all the gaps and cracks throughout the typical 2,500-square-foot American home can equate to more than half a mile. Sealing your home's tiny cracks and crevices with spray foam insulation can help reduce the possibility of drafts inside your home.

3. Address potential problems before they develop - The cold winter weather can often play a role in creating problems that you did not know existed around your home. Colder temperatures and increased precipitation play into why the elements are harsher on a house. Cleaning eavestroughs, ensuring the seals around windows and doors are intact, upgrading your traditional insulation to spray foam insulation and getting your HVAC unit serviced are all actions that can help to prepare your home for the upcoming winter.

Insulation can play an important role in winterizing your home, allowing you and your family to remain comfortable throughout the entire winter.

Spray foam insulation like that available from Icynene works well in all climates to seal the building and fill gaps to stop air leakage and reduce the strain on HVAC equipment. As a solution that performs effectively year-round, spray foam insulation helps maintain a comfortable temperature while controlling monthly heating and cooling expenses.

Additionally, spray foam insulation helps minimize random airborne moisture and pollutants from entering the home, ideal for anyone suffering from seasonal allergies once the snow has melted and spring arrives. More information is available online at www.icynene.com.

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