After devastating winter ice and snow storms ravished Texas in February of 2020 which left thousands of families without power for a week and caused billions of dollars in damages to our homes and offices, we want to make sure you are prepared for the cold weather ahead! The owner of Williamson Foundation Repair, Roger Williamson has some key advice on how to winterize and prepare your homes this winter to hopefully stave off and protect your homes from some of those problems that were experienced last year!

Tip #1: Faucet covers are your best friend!

One of the most important things every homeowner should do is buy a faucet cover for every exterior faucet! Faucet covers are typically made of styrofoam with a hard shell and a foam seal around the bottom. Faucet covers will significantly help to reduce the probability of your outside faucets freezing and will help avoid burst pipes. To attach your cover, take the cord and wrap it around the faucet head, and tighten the cinch until the cover is flush with the side of the house and has a snug seal.

Tip #2: Take full advantage of your wood-burning fireplace!

If you have a wood-burning fireplace in your home, be sure to stock up on firewood prior to the winter season! Even if you were to lose power and therefore your electric heating, your fireplace will still work and can provide a good source of heat to keep you and your family warm. Be sure that you have a wood-burning fireplace though as a coal fireplace is not the same and you should not burn wood in a coal fireplace!

Tip #3: Propane-powered heaters are a great backup option!

If you were to lose power during the winter and the temperatures were to drop, having a propane-powered heater and extra fuel may be a great backup for you. There are a lot of variations and designs of propane heaters which can be found in the camping supplies sections of outdoor stores and even in the camping department of Wal-Mart and other major stores that have a camping/outdoor department. They won’t be powerful enough to heat up your entire house, but they certainly will be able to keep a small room warm which can be a huge benefit if you find yourself without electricity in freezing temps.

Tip #4: Open the cabinet doors under the sinks!

If your area is expecting freezing temperatures and you haven’t lost electricity, opening the cabinet doors underneath the faucets of any bathrooms or kitchen sinks that are on the perimeter, outside walls can help keep those faucets and pipes from freezing. Opening the cabinets will allow heat in and even better, using an electric space heater facing the inside of those cabinets will further help prevent those faucets from freezing.

Tip #5: Investing in a generator may help you down the road!

In case you do lose power, having a backup generator to keep things running will be a huge help. Roger prefers the smaller, inverter generators due to the fact that they put out a lot more power for their size, benefiting you in three ways. One, they are smaller, lighter weight, and easier to move around as needed; two, they tend to be much quieter than a normal, traditional generator; and three, because they have a smaller engine they are much more fuel-efficient and will run a lot longer. Even a small generator will power a lot of stuff in your home, including space heaters, internet, TVs, and provide ways to keep your electronic devices charged. If you do have a generator, be sure to start it for ten minutes or so every season, four times a year to keep everything moving and in ready condition so that when you need it, you will be able to use it without problems.

Leaks caused by freezing pipes can create foundation problems down the road, so if you think you have a problem caused by a leak, give us a call at 469-698-8332 and we’d be happy to look at it! Williamson Foundation Repair has been serving the Dallas/ Fort Worth metroplex since 1985. We are all about education and providing homeowners with tools and a good understanding of foundation problems, foundation repairs, and drainage corrections. If you are ever faced with these problems, you will be an informed consumer and will be able to achieve better results from the company you use. By having a good knowledge of these issues you will be able to better avoid the problems that come with home ownership. Check out our Youtube channel for more great tips and tools that we have gathered in the over 35 years we have been in business!