Every winter, Colorado residents bundle up and crank up the thermostat to fend off freezing temperatures. But are you keeping your apartment as warm as you can? Neglecting your apartment in Denver, Boulder, Aspen, or in any of the other freezing cold cities in Colorado can cause severe damage down the road. Try following these steps so that your apartment won’t be damaged by winter weather.
1. Fix and Seal Your Windows
The first point of contact with the elements is often the windows in your apartment, so making sure they are in proper working order is essential. Cold air will crack the window frames and could even lead to extensive structural damage to your apartment. Fix any cracked or worn-down windows, and make sure to seal them with caulk, weather strips, or insulation film to prevent unnecessary drafts.
2. Avoid Water Damage to Your Floors
With so much snow around, it’s easy to track water and mud all throughout your apartment. One way to prevent this mess is to set up a rack either right inside or outside your front door, using either a plastic tray or mesh shelf. This system is an easy way to keep water off the floor, and to keep all of your winter accessories in one place. It’s also a good idea to have small plastic boxes for mittens and hats, so that you can stay organized and avoid the damage that dripping outerwear can cause to floors and carpeting.
3. Protect Your Pipes
Water pipes are a part of apartment infrastructure that are easy to forget, but they can become a serious problem in the winter if neglected. With frequent temperature fluctuations, water pipes are likely to freeze or even burst. There are several ways to prevent this from happening, including wrapping your pipes in foam insulation, heat tape, or pipe wrap. Pipe wrap and foam insulation can be wrapped around pipes to trap in heat. Heat tape looks like electrical wire, and is connected to the thermostat of your apartment, programmed to maintain a desired temperature. This slightly more complicated method is an excellent way to keep your pipes in working order.
4. Make Sure Your Roof and Gutters Are Clear
With the snow and ice that accumulate on and around buildings during the winter, it’s important to remove all debris from your roof and gutter before the weather gets too cold. If your gutter is full of leaves when ice forms, it can cause the gutter to sag down, inducing a damaging amount of stress on the apartment structure. The same goes for your roof, which can sink or even cave in under an increased amount of stress. If you want to be proactive in the prevention of ice formation on your gutters, heat tape can also be used in this context. The tape will look just like an extension cord, and can be easily wrapped around the gutter to prevent large amount of ice forming around the roof. If you’re not able to clear the roof or gutters yourself, contact your apartment’s maintenance team.
Do you have any tips for protecting your apartment in the winter? Tell us on Facebook or Twitter.
Also make sure to check out our Denver City Guide for more local apartment information!