There are many things that a homeowner does to prepare for winter. Winter brings frigid temperatures and high accumulations of snow fall. The home is the place of shelter that many rely on. When a problem goes wrong with the home during the winter, it can make it extremely uncomfortable and even impossible to live in. With proper prevention and maintenance, you can make your house warm and cozy throughout the upcoming cold winter months. Your regular home repairs may be more important than you think.

Make any necessary home repairs immediately Some homeowners may choose to put off their home repairs until spring time. However, this can be a mistake. Minor repairs like fixing window cracks or finally caulking that door wall can actually help the home hold in heat better. Many home plumbing repairs can ensure that you have access to hot water on a daily basis.

Even something small, like preventing to have your dishwasher fixed can cause it to freeze. In many parts of the country, the temperatures drop to negative degrees. When this happens, parts of your home, such as the pipes and plumbing set up are at risk of freezing, if they are not run regularly. Frozen pipes can be extremely expensive to fix, and water heater problems can prevent you from having hot water for things like bathing, washing, and cooking.

Repairs can be more difficult during the winter The reason that many homeowners wait to complete necessary repairs is that they are easier to complete when it is warm outside. Having a repair inspection done to your home, prior to winter can help to reduce the amount of problems that occur during the winter months. Problems with clogged drains, leaking pipes, and water heater problems can be more difficult to access and harder to repair in extreme cold temperatures. You may be left paying higher prices or having to wait until spring for under ground work.

It can also be a huge inconvenience to leave any housing problems until summer rolls back around. Water heater problems, for example, can get worse the longer the repair is put off. Leaking pipes can drastically increase the amount of water used and in return, the water bill. The average household?s leaks can account for more than 10,000 gallons of water wasted every year, or the amount of water needed to wash 270 loads of laundry. Additionally, 10% of homes have leaks that waste 90 gallons or more per day.

Your water pipes can break! Most homeowners do not realize how serious of a problem this can be. When the outside temperature drops below 20 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 6 degrees Celsius), water pipes in homes with little or no insulation are likely to freeze and break. In fact, a one eighth inch (3 millimeter) crack in a pipe can spew out more than 250 gallons of water per day, destroying floors, furniture, appliances, and personal items, according to IBHS.

You can see an increase in heating costs Having frozen pipes, water heater problems, or poor insulation in the home can cause your heating costs to rise significantly. The heat attempts to warm the home until it reaches a pre set temperature. Things like a water heater that does not heat or poor insulation of the home can cause it to work harder to warm the house. As a result, your furnace will be running constantly, increasing your heating costs. You are likely to see a huge increase in your home heating costs.

Plumbing 101 and other necessary home repairs are often put off until spring. This can be a mistake as it can leave you paying higher heating bills, higher water bills, and can actually leave you in the cold. Many of the home?s necessary repairs are better off if they are made in preparation of the cold winter months. It is also important to complete them before winter because if a home problem occurs, it is much more difficult to make repairs in the winter.