Tips
Indiana winters are hard on houses. Here's a practical checklist to button up your home against frozen pipes, ice dams, furnace failures, and freeze-thaw damage.
Quick Answer: Before deep cold sets in, walk your home and check the heating system, pipes, roof, gutters, foundation, and seals around doors and windows. Indiana winters bring frozen pipes, ice dams, and freeze-thaw cracking, and most of that damage is preventable with a couple hours of attention in the fall. This checklist covers what to look at and what to fix first.
There's a stretch every November where the weather can't make up its mind. One day it's 60, the next there's frost on the windshield. That's your signal to get the house ready, because once January hits with single-digit nights and the wind howling across central Indiana, the time for prevention is over.
I've seen what our winters do to homes that weren't prepared. A burst pipe can dump hundreds of gallons into a finished basement. An ice dam can back water up under shingles and into the ceiling. None of it is fun, and most of it is avoidable. Here's how I'd walk through your house.
Your furnace is about to work harder than at any other time of year. Replace the filter, and if you haven't had the system serviced recently, get it checked. A furnace that quits on the coldest night of the year is more than an inconvenience, it's a frozen-pipe risk. Test your thermostat, and if you've got a heat pump, make sure the backup heat kicks in properly. While you're at it, test every smoke and carbon monoxide detector, because closed-up houses running combustion appliances are exactly when CO becomes dangerous.
Frozen pipes are the winter emergency I hear about most. Insulate any exposed pipes in the crawlspace, garage, and along exterior walls. Disconnect and drain garden hoses, and shut off the water to outdoor spigots if you have interior valves. On brutally cold nights, let a faucet drip and open the cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls so warm air reaches the pipes. Know where your main shutoff is now, not while water's spraying everywhere.
Clean gutters matter more in winter than people think. Clogged gutters can't drain melting snow, and that water refreezes into ice dams that force their way under your shingles. Clear the gutters, check the downspouts carry water well away from the foundation, and from the ground look for any missing or lifted shingles that could let melt water in. If you've got attic access, make sure the insulation is adequate, because heat escaping into the attic is what melts roof snow unevenly and feeds ice dams in the first place.
This is the one that's easy to ignore. Water gets into small foundation cracks, freezes, expands, and makes the crack bigger. Repeat that cycle a few dozen times over an Indiana winter and a hairline crack becomes a real problem. Seal small cracks in the fall, make sure soil grades away from the house, and keep snow and ice from piling against the foundation where it'll melt and pool.
Cold air leaking in costs you money and comfort. Check weatherstripping around doors, caulk gaps around windows, and add a door sweep if you feel a draft at the threshold. On a cold day, run your hand around window and door frames and you'll feel exactly where the heat's escaping.
Trim any tree limbs hanging over the roof, since ice loads can bring them down. Store outdoor furniture, and make sure the sump pump is working before the spring thaw catches you off guard. A few minutes outside now saves a mess later.
Pipes start to be at risk once it drops below freezing for a sustained stretch, and the danger climbs as temperatures fall into the teens and single digits. Exposed pipes in unheated spaces freeze first, which is why insulation matters.
Keep gutters clean, improve attic insulation and ventilation so the roof stays evenly cold, and clear snow buildup when you safely can. Ice dams form when escaping heat melts roof snow that then refreezes at the cold eaves.
Absolutely. Winter actually reveals problems that hide in summer, like drafts, heating issues, and ice dam tendencies. I inspect year-round across the Indianapolis area.
Frozen and burst pipes, followed by water intrusion from ice dams and clogged gutters. Both are largely preventable with the steps above.
If you want a professional to look over your home before winter really bites, I'm here to help. I'm Josh Kimbrough with FYI Home Inspections, serving eight Indianapolis-area counties: Marion, Johnson, Morgan, Shelby, Hancock, Hendricks, Boone, and Hamilton. Call (463) 426-5805 or email jkimbrough@fyihomeinspect.com to schedule.
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