Preparing your home for big freezes
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Winter can be brutal on your home. Your homeowner’s insurance covers burst pipes and ice dams in your gutter. Ice dams are caused when ice forms on your home’s eaves, and water from melted snow flows from your roof, gets backed up behind the ice and flows under the shingles and into your home. You’re also covered (to a degree) if a tree hits your home. Remember, you’ll only be able to recoup the cost of removing the tree up to $500. But if a tree just falls in your backyard, you’re on your own. |
If you live in colder areas prone to icing and heavy snowfall, you should have a strong de-icer on hand, like Calcium Chloride. It costs about 10 times more than rock salt, but it’s also much more powerful. If you live in more moderate climates that have occasional snowfall, you’re probably better off just stocking up on rock salt according to the Salt Industry. A 50 pound bag can costs just under $10. Whatever you do, make sure you don’t oversalt. Both rock salt and calcium chloride can be corrosive to concrete that has not been mixed or finished properly. If you have a driveway that is full of chinks and scars, be very cautious when using salt. To get the best results from salt de-icers, you’ll want to put it on the ground before the first flakes begin to form.
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