Winter can take a toll on your home and property. Cold temperatures and snow can crack sidewalks and rupture pipes inside and outside of your house. Preparing for the season can take the headache out of emergency repairs by preventing them before they start. Here are a few tips to winterize your place.

Dig Out From the Snow

Make sure your snowblower starts up and you have plenty of shovels on hand before the snow plow goes by. Take your gas can down to the service station and fill it up in case the weather gets bad. You will also want to make a trip to the hardware store to purchase any additive you will need for the machine to make it run smoothly. Buy ice melt to sprinkle on your driveway and sidewalks. This will break up the ice so that those walking there will be safe from falling. Read the directions before you apply it to ensure it will react well with your cement.

Service Your Furnace

Replace your furnace filters before it gets cold and turn it on briefly to make sure that it fires up. If you wait for the first chilly day of the year, it might take a while for the service technician to come to repair it due to the other calls they will have to make. Test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and change batteries if needed. The windows and doors will be closed for a few months which traps the air inside. If the furnace malfunctions, you will want the warning when it does.

Insulate Exposed Pipes

If your basement gets cold during the winter or they are outside, you will want to insulate them so that they are protected from freezing. Water will have trouble flowing if they do and there is the risk that the pipe will burst. You can wrap them in foam insulation to keep them safe from the frigid temperatures.