Did you feel it?

No, not an earthquake, but that little nip in the air the past couple of mornings.  It is chilly in the morning.  I love that.  I checked the weather forecast and next week they are calling for overnight lows in the 40's!  That is just about cold enough to make me want to turn the heat on for a few minutes to take the chill off the house.

 It seems that nowadays, the seasons come and go in a flash.  No gradual warming or cooling, just cold one day and hot the next and visa verse.  Perhaps it is just me, but it seems like someone just throws a switch and bam, summer is over and winter is here. Very odd.  Spring and fall seem to come and go in the blink of an eye as well.  Which is too bad as they are my two favorite seasons.

The nip in the air reminds us that now is the best time to winterize you home in order to avoid problems down the road. 

The single most important thing you can do to prevent a leak from broken pipes, is to turn your water off at your customer valve when you leave your mountain home.

We cannot stress this enough.  There have been so many instances of leaks that could have been prevented if the homeowner had just turned their water off prior to leaving their home.  So we will keep promoting this until everyone gets it!

Some other winterizing tips are located on the left side of the blog, down towards the bottom, but I will post them here as well.

Winterizing Tips

Every winter season, homeowners in mountain communities are at risk of the damage and expense caused by frozen pipes. However, just a few precautions can greatly reduce your risk and may even help with your winter heating efficiency.

1. Disconnect and Drain-detaching hoses from outdoor faucets allows water to drain from the pipe.

2. Insulate-if you have pipelines in an unheated garage or cold crawl spaced under the house, wrap the water pipes before temperatures plummet. You can also purchase insulated covers for your outdoor faucets as well.

3. Seal Off Vents, Cracks and Doors-winter winds whistling through overlooked openings can quickly freeze exposed water pipes.

By following these simple steps, you will be protecting yourself from a possible leak or broken pipe due to freezing.

These are just a few tips to get you started and help prevent a broken water pipe due to freezing.  And remember, it is so much easier to do these chores now before temperatures plummet.  No one wants to be outside doing winterizing chores when the weather is cold and wet.  So do yourself a favor and get them done now while the days are still warm and sunny and come winter, you can sit inside in front of the fire and enjoy your mountain home instead of worrying.