Homes on Fire Island are meant for the summer, which means winterization plays a crucial role in keeping these homes looking great. At Fire Island Property Management, we can help keep your home safe during the winter months by inspecting and winterizing it. The winterization of a home is simply the process of preparing the property to be vacant during the winter months. In general, many of the steps take place during the fall months ahead of the impending winter season. Being proactive and winterizing your property can help to protect against risks of damage from common property issues. Let Fire Island Property Management inspect your property during the winter months.
If you are in need of property management services for your Fire Island home, then please reach out to us. Our team has years of experience working in this field and can ably get the job done at an affordable price. When you turn to our winter inspection services, they will take place throughout the winter months. With each inspection, we will send a report with photos to update you. Other common home care services we provide include spring openings and fall closings.
Reasons to Winterize Your Home
Here are some key reasons to winterize your home. By winterizing your home, you will be making our winter inspections easier and lessen the chance of an issue arising.
Prevent Your Home From Appearing Unoccupied
There are some simple ways to prevent your home from appearing unoccupied, like forwarding your mail and stopping any newspaper deliveries. You can also put motion sensor lighting around your home, so the lights periodically go on. Timer lighting is also a plus to set up at various times of the day. And during the winter months, it is crucial to have someone who can drop by to clean up any snow if there was a storm.
Turn off Water
If a pipe bursts or leaks while you are away, then it can lead to significant damage. However, turning off the water supply when you are away is a simple way to avoid any complications or potential damages. There are safe ways to handle this where it is not dangerous to turn off the water supply, which may impact other areas of the home. When you turn off the water supply, it is important to drain the pipes of all water by opening the faucets and flushing the toilet bowl to clear any water. And consider shutting off and draining outdoor faucets in order to prevent water damage due to freezing. Make sure you consult with a professional if you have never done this before, because there are preventative measures to take to make sure it is done safely.
Keep Home & Plumbing Warm
If you do not drain the water from your pipes, then you must keep the furnace running in order to make sure the home stays warm and the pipes do not freeze. And a quick trick is to keep the room and cabinet doors open to help circulate the heat and warm the areas where the pipes are located. One area of water you can shut off easily is to the washing machines and dishwashers, so you can avoid any leaks or broken hoses during the absent winter months. Lastly, you can wrap water piping to better insulate it, especially in unheated areas like garages and attics.
Pest Control
Before leaving for the winter months, clean your home thoroughly to discourage bugs from calling your place home. Most notably clean, defrost and unplug the refrigerator and wipe them down. Give the home an inspection, too, to see if any animals can make their way in. For example, if the home has a fireplace, close the flue so bats, birds and squirrels can't enter. Another area of consideration is to check the insulation for doors and windows to make sure they are in good shape, because that is an area where water and insects can make their way into the home.
Emergency Preparation
If you can, notify neighbors of the vacant home so if there is an emergency they know you are not there. And so someone in the area can keep an eye on the home. Getting smoke detectors that tie into an alarm system is preferable, since it can directly alert the fire department of a fire. Before heading out, properly secure windows in case of a storm. You don't want to come back in the spring to a home with damaged windows due to a storm.
Preventative Measures from Thieves
The sad reality is that burglars are on the lookout for vacant homes, so it is important to take preventative measures to secure your home. Have a working alarm system in place. Secure all external doors and windows with deadbolt locks and/or security hinges. For sliding doors, install slide locks. And store valuables that you are not taking with you in a safe deposit box or other secure offsite location if you can.