I hate to think it, but winter is around the corner.

Ice, snow & wind can have devastating effects on your home.The time to winterize is before the snow begins to fall.

Here are some suggested precautions:

• Maintain gutters. Removing leaves, acorns, sticks & debris from gutters so that snow & ice can drain properly can help prevent dreaded ice dams.
• Trim trees & remove dead branches. Ice, snow & wind can cause weak trees or branches to break damaging your home, car or injuring someone.
• Check Insulation. Add extra insulation to attics, basements and crawl spaces. If too much heat escapes through the attic it can cause snow or ice to melt on the roof. Water re-freezing causes more snow & ice to build up resulting in collapsed roofs & ice dams. Ideally, the attic should be five to ten degrees warmer than the outside air.
• Keep your home warm. The temperature in your house should be at least 65 degrees. The temperature inside the walls where the pipes are located is colder than the walls themselves.