Protecting your home from frosty weather

With record breaking temperatures across the Midwest, our bodies are not the only things we should be concerned about protecting from the cold. Here are a few tips to keep your home in mint condition.

*Check your water pipes to prevent frozen bursting. Did you know when water freezes, it expands? The ice causes pressure against the pipes which forces a burst in a part of the pipe that is not frozen. Homes with holes for cable near pipes, with lower temperatures, or with a lack of insulation are at the highest risk of pipe bursting.

A sign of a frozen pipe is a faucet turned on without water coming out.   If it is frozen; attempt to gradually thaw the pipe. Weather.com recommends a hair dryer in a dry area; be safe and never use an open flame. Prevent your pipes from freezing by putting thick insulation around them.

*Do not pour boiling water over any type of frozen glass. This includes the windows on a vehicle. The immediate temperature increase can cause the glass to crack or even break due to sensitivity. Again, the more gradual, the better

*Inspect the gutters and roof after each snowfall. Remove any remaining snow that has accumulated on the roof to prevent damage. Also, keep a lookout for icicles, these may be a sign of an ice dam on the roof.