SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (WXYZ) — Time is of the essence to get your home or apartment prepared for winter weather. That means a lot of checks to be done and even supplies to gather.
In the race against snow, homeowner Andre Johnson knows being ready is a top priority.
“Look at the forecast every day, almost hour by hour,” Johnson said. “It’s a storm coming. Get yourself prepared.”
With a mix of expected snowfall, high winds and falling temperatures, at his Southfield home, Johnson has already checked gutters for debris and set the thermostat to stay warm.
“You definitely want to make sure your heat is on, if you need to contact your contractor,” he said.
7 Action News asked heating and cooling expert Marisa Randazzo for additional steps to take ahead of severe winter weather. Her company is now fielding hundreds of calls a day.
“Make sure that your furnace is operating without any hiccups. You should be checking the thermostat battery, checking all the registers in the home with a walk through,” Randazzo said. “Also, check your furnace filter. On the exterior of the home, the exhaust and intake. Make sure there’s no obstruction near that.”
Six more steps to protect your pipes include:
- Keeping garage doors closed
- Opening kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors Letting cold water drip from a faucet
- Keeping the thermostat at the same temperature
- If you’re away, leave heat on
- Add insulation to attics, basements and crawlspaces
- It’s not too soon to think about having bare essentials ready.
Of course, a snow shovel, snow blower and salt helps prevent slip and fall if it gets slippery.
Johnson also shared advice: “If you’ve got a snowblower, get it gassed up, turn it on and make sure everything is up and running. If you can’t plow or shovel, get someone that can help you.”
Also heating up is demand for home insulation, says John Carlson, the owner of Efficient Foam Insulation.
“Everybody decides we need to get this done right away, quick. Seals all the cracks and crannies, whatever it’s sprayed onto. It can save you up to 44% energy wise,” Carlson said.
If you live in an apartment, additional precautions include keeping windows shut, phones charged in the event of a power outage and a supply of food and water if elevators are out of service.
Do not attempt to use an oven for heat, nor run a generator inside.
In Westland, Mayor Bill Wild says of 85,000 people in the city, extra help will be ready for seniors, many of which live in apartments.
“Half of our population are seniors. We actually keep a list of homebound seniors that need help and we actually have an open line of communications with them,” Wild said.
It’s communication that could be life saving when harsh winter weather hits.
