Since we live in Canada it pretty much feels like winter is always either coming or is here so it’s always a good time to learn new ways to keep our homes a little bit safer when the snow flies.
The comprehensive and affordable home insurance policies we offer are the best way to protect your home (get a free home insurance estimate here) but much like a high wire act uses tools to avoid falling, let’s take a look at some gadgets that can help you avoid needing to use your safety net.
KEEP ICE OFF WALKWAYS AND ENTRANCES AROUND YOUR HOME
You could make your life easier and your home safer at the same time by trying out one of these products outside your home.
1/ HOT MAT.
Manufactured to stand up to the beatings winter can dish out, the hot mat can be left out all winter, manually turned on when snow is expected or automated using one of their thermostat accessories.
It warms up to melt snow and ice leaving a safer and cleaner area outside your door.
Click here to learn more about Hot Mat.
2\ HEAT TRAK
Similar in concept to the Hot Mat, these Heat Traks can be interconnected to cover the entire walkway up to your house, making them an especially great tool to reduce the risk of injury from a slip and fall.
Click here to learn more about Heat Trak.
LIGHTING CAN PROTECT YOUR HOME
Since it gets darker earlier and stays darker longer during the winter months, lighting is more important than ever as a key layer of your home security.
Since some predators (both animal and human) tend to be more active with the cover of darkness, winter extends their hours of operation so effective lighting is one of our best defensive tools to keep our properties safe during the colder months.
Motion-activated lights near entry points and dark corners of your property can do a great job of telling people and animals to steer clear and move on.
NOTE: Plugged-in electrical lights are better than solar-powered lights in the winter. Due to the reduced duration and intensity of sunlight, solar lights tend to be less bright and do not last as long into the night compared to the summer.
RELATED ARTICLE: Protect Your Home From The Outside This Winter
KEEP YOUR ROOF CLEAR OF ICE AND SNOW
Roof-related issues are one of the more common types of home insurance claims so investing the time and money into preventing them is smart, especially in the winter when heavy snow and ice build-up can lead to a host of major problems.
You can handle the chore manually using a telescopic snow shovel like this one from Canadian Tire to remove excess snow from the top of your home.
Another way you can keep the build-up on your roof to a minimum is to use a product that requires less manual labor.
1\ ROOF GUARD
These de-icing cables can be installed on your roof to prevent ice dams.
They work by providing heat to critical areas of a roof, preventing the formation of ice dams and ensuring that melting snow drains properly. These cables are usually installed along roof edges, in gutters, and downspouts.
Learn more about Roof Guard here.
2\ ROOF MELT
Made with ice-melting ingredients like calcium chloride and salt, these tablets can be used to break up ice jams that have formed on your roof.
Simply toss them up on your roof where there is build up and they will do their thing. No need for special equipment or in most cases even ladders depending on the height and shape of your roof (and your throwing ability).
While perhaps not as easy and effective as the Roof Guard outlined above, the fact that we get to toss them onto the roof can certainly make them more fun to use. 🙂
Learn more about Roof Melt tablets here.
RELATED ARTICLE: 5 Ways To Winterize Your Home on a Budget
Just like how winter tires help keep you safer on the roads during the winter, these tools can help keep you and your visitors safer in and around your home.
Erie Mutual Insurance proudly serves the commercial insurance, farm insurance, home insurance and auto insurance needs of members throughout Southern Ontario including Haldimand, Niagara and Hamilton.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have about this or any other topic related to your insurance.
