Winter Home Safety Audit

by Murray Anderson

We all know winter comes right after Fall and along with the cold and snow, winter also brings hazardous and potentially deadly weather conditions. So, to make sure your home and family get through this coming winter safe and sound now's the time to do your own home safety audit. Here's some ideas on how to do your own winter home safety audit.

Doing your own winter home audit

First the furnace room
Start with the obvious and have a professional check and service your furnace. Everyone is going to be spending more time indoors during the winter and you want to be sure your furnace is working properly, the filter is clean, the pilot light and thermostat are working properly and there are no leaks or openings in your supply lines or furnaces ducts.
While you're thinking about your furnace get a supply of filters that fit your furnace. Experts recommend changing regular furnace filters once a month during the heating season and high efficiency filters at least every three months. Having clean furnace filters is important since a blocked furnace filter can cause the 'limit switch' on your furnace to activate, turning off your furnace (and leaving you without heat) until the switch is replaced by a professional.
Still around your furnace, remove any flammable items from the area - things like paints and paint thinners along with paper products should all be stored well away from your furnace.
If you have a fireplace have the chimney cleaned to get rid of any creosote buildup and eliminate the possibility of a chimney fire.

Moving outside

Move any piles of wood or firewood away from your foundation and seal up any openings in your walls (even the tiny ones – a mouse can get through a 1/4” opening) so mice and voles can't in. While they may not be dangerous by themselves they can carry disease and no one wants to share their home with dirty rodents.
Check to be sure your steps and handrails are sound. People need handrails and solid steps in icy conditions and repairing them now while the weather is still warm can prevent a nasty accident from happening this winter.
As it gets later in the fall, shut off the water supply to your outside taps and drain the supply lines so there's no water left in the pipes to freeze and burst them.

Inside your home

If you have carbon monoxide and smoke detectors installed get fresh batteries for them. If your don't have these warning devices in your home, now is the time to install them. They are inexpensive, easy to install and either of them could save a life.
Have your fire extinguisher checked or if it's more than 10 years old, consider buying a new one.
Prepare an emergency kit. This would consist of candles (along with a lighter or matches),flashlight and batteries, a portable radio, blankets and warm clothes for everyone, bottled water and non perishable foods for your family ad pets, as well as a first aid kit and a camp cooking stove so you can have a warm meal (even if it's only canned soup).