Preventing Future Winter Damage to your Home

Winter 2015 has been a brutal succession of extreme cold and heavy snow.  This extreme weather has put a lot of stress on many local homes.  

As spring temperatures arrive the memories of ice damming, frozen pipes, and damaged gutters become a thing of the last. Now is the time to act and take preemptive measures to correct future winter weather damage to your home.

Having properly rated insulation installed in the attic and exterior walls can be a great start.

The following video produced by "This Old House" provides some great informative regarding the mechanics and repair options for these winter weather issues.

-HomePort

Ice Dams and their Relationship with Mold Growth

• Graphic by home-partners.com

Ice Dams are a common wintertime phenomena.  Sure the icicles loop pretty on the gutter, but there's also a dark side.  

Prolonged ice damming can cause roof damage leading to moisture infiltration within the home.  Moisture = Mold, and mold thrives in dark places like behind Sheetrock ceilings and walls.  Those pretty icicles on the gutter can lead directly to detrimental indoor air quality. 

Attached is a very informative article written by RTK Environmental;   

http://www.rtkenvironmental.com/mold/winter-weather-causes-dangerous-ice-dams-protect-roof-leaks-n/

HomePort Inspections Inc. 

Double Tapped Circuit Breaker

Here's an example of a double tapped circuit breaker;

Double tapping is when two hot wires are squeezed into a single circuit breaker.  Typical breakers aren't designed for two wires, the connections can loosen and the current can jump between wires causing excessive heat and microarcing. This is a dangerous scenario which can become a home fire hazard.  Recommend evaluation by a licensed electrician.