From Heatwave To Bitter Winter, Protect Your Home!

What’s in store for us this year, when it comes to winter? Well, we’re now being told that we should expect a ‘sheet of sleet’. That means that you can expect long-term ice and snow. With that comes great danger and risk to your house. This year, there is simply no excuse to not be prepared for the winter and all its woes. We have been stuck indoors for so long that we should have all begun to buy things we need, make repairs and check our property for any things that could be used by critters as their home. Have you taken the time to go outside and look up at your roof? Have you gone into the attic to assess leaks? Have you made sure unwanted guests do not stay for very long?

Fat, fluffy and mean

During the winter, there will be a whole host of critters that want to make your home, their humble abode. Not least of all, raccoons. Don’t be fooled by their hilarious bodies and the way they move. They can seem human-like but they are very aggressive and very tough. During the winter, they will seek to get away from the bitter cold and make your home a nice place to rest and feed. However, they can cause havoc, tipping over your trash cans, going through your garden flowers and vegetable plants like a hot knife through butter and even break into your home to find food. This type of issue can only be resolved by professional raccoon removal. They will humanely capture and remove the animal, they won’t be aggressive or use force to do so. They will also release the animal far from your home so they don’t find their way back.

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Cracking tiles

After such a long heatwave this summer, the bitter winter will cause your tiles to crack under the sudden temperature change. You can quickly avoid this by going outside and marking where you think your tiles are showing signs of old age. Spot these signs…

Can you see a curved fatigue erosion? This usually happens like a U-shape at the end of the tiles as the water tends to rush off and take bits of the clay tiles with it.

Can you see cracks on tiles that are in the water channels? This is usually at the edges because of the tiles meeting points and water flow location.

Can you see bits of tile on the floor? This is usually after it's rained and then a gust of wind blows off little bits of the tile.

Dripping noise

Late at night, if you can hear a tapping noise, while it's raining, it's probably not the rain on your window sill. Actually, if it's in your attic, this is a clear sign that you have a leak. Your foundation base has been penetrated and the water is dropping onto support beams. Can you see a darker patch on the wood? Shine a torchlight into the attic and listen for the sound. You will need to call in an expert to get a leak located and fixed.

It's time to prepare for a bad winter. Keep unwanted animals out of your home by calling in experts to remove critters like raccoons and squirrels. And start to replace old tiles before it's too late.