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3 things every Alberta homeowner needs to know know

3 things every Alberta homeowner needs to know know

By Kathy Schmidt, Broker/Owner, Schmidt Realty Group Inc.

3 things every Alberta homeowner needs to know… but might not!

  1. Your pipes could freeze at this temperature…
    Friends of ours recently had their furnace go out during a cold snap. That’s never fun, but what’s even worse than being cold is being cold and wet!  Did you know that your pipes are at risk of freezing if the inside temperature of your homes goes below +14C in the winter?  Many plumbing lines run along the outside wall of your home, and if it’s -30C outside and only +14C inside, the cold temperatures could win and freeze your pipes! If you have a newer home or if you’ve upgraded the exterior insulation on your older home, this may not be as big a risk, but it’s still something to be very aware of.  Here are a few things to do, right after you call your favourite heating company for an emergency call!
  • Turn on your oven and any fireplaces.
  • Open all the doors to rooms in your home. You may have areas you don’t use often, but you want to keep all the interior areas as warm as possible since you don’t know where you may have a plumbing pipe at risk.
  • Open the cabinet doors below all your sinks. This helps them stay just a wee bit warmer.
  • Turn on any space heaters you have and consider calling friends or posting on Facebook that you need to borrow some! People will be glad to help.
  • If it’s going to be more than a few hours you’ll be without heat, you might want to turn off your water and drain your lines. That way you don’t have to worry about water freezing in your pipes.
  • Some people think that turning the taps on to let water flow will solve the problem, but since moving water can actually freeze, it might not.
  • Once you’ve got your heat back on, you still might not be out of the woods. Frozen pipes don’t leak until the water inside melts. Watch your home carefully for any signs of wet or damp areas.
  • The best way to avoid all this? Get your furnace checked in the summer rather than waiting till late fall like everyone else. Who knows, if you need a new furnace maybe you’ll even get a better deal off season! 😉Here’s a helpful article if you’d like to learn more! 7 Ways to Prevent Frozen Pipes in Alberta | Acera Insurance

 

  1. Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing!
    New homeowners understandably think that more insulation is always better. After all, we live in a winter city, so that would seem to make sense. Wrapping an older home with a new weather barrier can be a great investment, as can adding insulation to your attic. However, if you increase your attic insulation without paying attention to the ventilation in your attic it can be a recipe for disaster! If you add insulation to your attic it will stay warmer.  However, that moist warm air needs to be balanced by sufficient ventilation to prevent your roof from becoming warm enough to melt the snow on it.  When snow melts on a sloping roof it flows down to the eaves where it can freeze and cause an ice dam, which can lead to water backing up and getting inside your home.   Before I was a REALTOR® I used to think all those icicles on the eaves of homes were really pretty. Now I know it’s a sign that that homeowner may be at risk of water damage.  So keep this in mind… insulation requires ventilation.  You need both elements in the right proportion to keep your home warm, cozy and dry.Here’s a helpful video from CBC if you’d like to learn more! What you should be doing to prevent ice dams forming on your roof

 

  1. NEVER put Kleenex down the toilet.
    My husband and I learned this one the hard way! We were living in an older home and hosting a lot of overnight guests over the holidays. Not the ideal time for the toilet to plug… and really not an ideal time to get a plumber in quickly! Apparently Kleenex is designed for holding together when faced with heavy nose-blowing with a cold… that means it also holds together in your plumbing! Not good! Especially if you have older pipes that might have some build-up that Kleenex can snag on.  Our solution was to remove the Kleenex from our guest bathroom since we weren’t prepared to replace our pipes.  You might want to think about a little sign in your bathroom for guests asking them to please put Kleenex in the trash can… and nowhere else 😉

Got a question about real estate you’d like addressed in a future blog post? Let us know! Reach out any time at info@WeSellEdmonton.com

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