As the impending arctic weather comes to bear in Colorado, Colarelli Custom Homes has a few home tips you can help keep your home from experiencing any troubles;

• Make sure all exterior hoses are disconnected.
• Keep your thermostat set no lower than 50 degrees – even in the portions of your home that you don’t frequent.
• Ensure crawl spaces are heated- you may want to leave the access panel open and place a fan to circulate the warm air.
• Be aware if you notice reduced water pressure or volume… that could mean a partial freezing of the water line somewhere in your home.
• If you have this situation – in addition to some of the above ideas – open cabinet doors where pipes pass through (such as under your sinks) and let the water trickle – moving water does not freeze as easily.
• Bring sensitive electronics inside (phones, computers, etc.).
• If your heating system is in your attic space, make sure that is a unit that cycles on/ off every few hours.
• If you have living space over a garage – keep the doors and windows in your garage closed.
• Bath fan vents can freeze shut from the moist air contacting the cold exterior – if this happens moist air can be trapped in the exhaust piping and create excessive back pressure, shortening the life of your bath fan.
• Kitchen hood vents can also have this issue.

Lastly – if a water pipe freezes it likely won’t show up as a leak until it thaws out – usually when the weather warms up the next day…. Be on the lookout for water where you wouldn’t expect it and dripping water sounds in walls or floor systems.