It finally feels like winter out there. The highs are in the single digits with wind chills reaching double digit negatives. This kind of cold can be dangerous so you need to make sure you take the proper precautions. The preparation for extreme cold should start before the winter comes. You should have had your furnace clean and check by now to make sure your furnace is ready for the cold weather coming. You should make sure to have a working carbon monoxide detector, smoke detector, and a thermometer in your home. Make sure you insulate exterior wall waterlines to prevent them from freezing and bursting. If your pipes do freeze, make sure you never use open flame to thaw them! BRING PETS INDOORS! If you are using a space heater make sure that you have it 3 feet away from anything that can catch fire. NEVER use your stove to heat your home. This is not only a safety hazard for people to get burned but you can also have carbon monoxide issues with it. If you lose power and use a generator, NEVER use it indoors or in the garage because of a carbon monoxide risk. Let your water drip slowly to encourage it not to freeze. Dress warm and in layers if you lose power at home. Do not over exert yourself in the cold. Minimize the amount of ice you have on your walkway and areas around your home because most injuries in the winter are due to ice. You can also get to a warming center in the area. To find one in Illinois go to this link. http://www.illinois.gov/keepwarm/Pages/default.aspx
Here’s a list of supplies you should have in your home to prepare you for the extreme cold. You need an alternate way to heat your home during power failure (wood for fireplace, ect). Non-perishable food that doesn’t need to be cooked like crackers, bread, fruit, ect. Its a good idea to have 5 Gallons of water per person in your home. Make sure you have the medicines your family members need. An electric space heater helps keep people warm. Blankets can also hold your heat in to make you warmer. Have matches to light candles and a fire if needed. A fire extinguisher should be in every home no matter the time of year. Another very important thing is a first aid kit. Have a battery powered radio and flashlights with extra batteries. Non electric can opener cna come in handy to open cans of food. A shovel and rock salt will help you clear paths to and from your home.
It is important you get your car checked out and tuned up before winter so you have less chance of getting stranded in the extreme cold. Cold can be very hard on the cars. Your car should have a set of emergency supplies for the winter also in case you get stranded. Make sure you try and keep your gas tank near full so it won’t freeze on you. Don’t travel unless you absolutely need to. Before you leave home, check the road reports for the area you must travel in. Let people know where you will be traveling to so that someone can check on you. Make sure your phone is fully charged and that you have a charger with you in case of an emergency. If you do get stranded, tie a bright colored cloth to the antennae. Take anything you need out of the trunk and put it into the passenger area of your car to minimize you needing to get out constantly. Wrap yourself in warm clothes to keep your body temperature up. Let the motor run for 10 minutes each hour but make sure snow is not blocking the exhaust pipe. If your body temperature reaches 95 and below you will get hypothermia and that is very dangerous and needs to be taken care of right away! Here is a list of stuff you need for your car this winter. Blankets, first Aid Kit, windshield scraper, jumper cables, cell phone and charger, non perishable food, tools, paper towels, bag of sand, cat litter, or salt for traction, flashlight and extra batteries, shovel, extra clothes and bright colored ones too. These are simple things to follow to ensure your safety in the extreme cold. If your furnace is having issues call Bartlett Heating and Air today!
