Preparing Your Home for Winter
In this weekly Q&A column, retired builder/building inspector Cam Allen answers readers’ home renovation questions. Have a question? Enter it in the form below.
It seems once the calendar turns over to September and the children go back to school the thoughts of winter begin to surface. I monitor the weather forecasts and this winter, while we all know weather predictions seem like a shot-in-the-dark at times, modern technology does improve accuracy. The winter of 2026-27 projection has multiple extreme predictions in the forecast and when you add in the climate effects, a season of dramatic contrasts
is expected.
Most Canadians are attuned to winter and have the basic preparations in place before it arrives. The difference now is that the length of extreme weather is advancing and the presence of repeated ice is becoming more prevalent. The following tips are worth considering as our climate deteriorates.
Use a Portable Generator
I installed a standby generator 5 years ago and it never ran the first two winters. Last winter it racked up over 200 hours of timed operation. At one point some time ago I felt a backup power system was a luxury. Today it’s almost becoming a necessity. While a permanent standby unit is nice, a decent portable generator with an operational rating of at least 5000 watts, preferably electric start and fitted on a frame with wheels is enough to operate a furnace, frig and some lights and plugs to power your internet, TV and phones.
Most portable generators will operate up to 8 hours on a tank of fuel. Maintain at least 60-80L of fresh gas. There is a product called fuel stabilizer, add this to each gas container according to directions before filling with gas. It will add some months of life to your stored gas. Come late spring, use this gas up in your lawnmower or car.
With a stabilizer mixed in, gas is usually good for 6 to 9 months. If you can afford a propane powered portable generator they will run longer on a tank of LPG. Propane tends to run cleaner and require less maintenance.
Measure Your Roof’s Pitch
Get the Green Building Project Checklist
Use this handy checklist on your next project to keep track of all the ways you can make your home more energy-efficient and sustainable.
With the extremes in snow levels we are seeing, attention to your roof is becoming a priority. Roof assembly is rated by pitch, by way of what is known as the 12 inch rule. How this is done is by taking a 12” long piece of wood and a torpedo level, tape the level on the wood. Now put one end of the wood against your roof covering and raise the other end of the wood up until it is level. Next, take a tape measure and measure the distance from the underside of the lifted end of the piece of wood to the roof. This will tell you the pitch. As
an example, if the distance is 6 inches you have a 6/12 pitch roof. This is known as a medium or moderate pitch and makes up the vast majority of residential roof assemblies. Roofs are rated for snow load. This pitch of the roof will normally handle a snow load of 40 to 60 pounds of snow per square foot. As most Canadians know, wet snow is a lot heavier than fluffy snow. The benchmark I have always used for a moderate pitch: any amount of snow near or over 12 inches and it’s time to rake it off. A low slope roof (2/12 to 4/12) my snow removal benchmark is 8 to 10 inches.
Carbon Monoxide Prevention
Every winter we read where a family or individual is affected by carbon monoxide (CO) that has built up in a home, far too often resulting in death. In most provinces now carbon monoxide detectors are mandated. The media makes a point each fall to talk about the dangers of running a generator inside, even in your garage with the door open. Idling a car is not a bit better.
The reason is basic indoor-outdoor air pressure differences. CO will remain in a garage long after the door is closed and the car is gone or the generator is turned off. These pressure differences will allow captured CO to seep into your home.
One of the greatest improvements in forced air home heating was
the development of high-efficiency furnaces, some now reaching the 98 percent rating. Brick chimneys and large metal flue pipes are no longer needed. Today most are vented using a plastic pipe called 636 and they exit out a side wall or basement wall of your home. The issue here is the code height – here in Ontario it’s 18 inches off grade. While that may seem like enough, I have seen numerous cases where the snow has drifted and covered these pipes. There are often two pipes, one for combustion air and one for exhaust. If this happens the furnace will simply shut down – in the process it may increase the chance of CO back venting into your home. I have a
high-e furnace as part of our dual system and have 636 vents. I take 2 pieces of plywood about 12 inches wide and locate them with an open frame top and front. I locate this “box” over the pipes during the winter. Any snow drifting ends up against the plywood and not the pipes.
Backup Heating
Having some emergency heating should be on every winter safe home list today. An average home will drop 8 to 11°C (15 to 20°F) within 8 to 10 hours once the temperature drops below freezing. If you have a forced air fossil fuel furnace, then a generator is the easiest answer.
Not all furnaces are fossil fuel, there are electric furnaces. If you have a wood stove or fireplace this type of backup heating can be effective for the floor it is located upon. In the past when I had a wood stove I used to keep at least one cord of seasoned firewood in my garage. Do not store green firewood in a home. It will significantly upset the humidity in your home, the bugs will find your nice warm home a great winter location along with the dust and
chips cut firewood collects.
Every wood stove or fireplace should be cleaned and inspected annually, preferably in the fall of the year. Do not hire anyone other than a WETT (Wood Energy Technology Transfer) certified solid fuel technician. Do not be surprised if your home insurance company gets strict on this annual inspection, they are getting really fussy about this.
Lastly, under no circumstances use a portable propane or kerosene heater inside an enclosed space unless it has a CSA/UL certified, dedicated ventilation system.
Insulate Your Water Pipes
And one final answer to a quick question from a reader. Yes, wrapping water pipes does help. The closed cell foam tube style that is pre-slit and fits around your pipes has an insulation value of around R-8. It is now recommended to install these foam tubes for at least 10 feet on the outbound hot side of the water pipe coming from your hot water heater, if possible. Along with saving energy, the bonus is your hot water will show up at the tap a bit quicker.
Read more winter prep tips in Before the Freeze: What Every Homeowner Should Do Now to Prepare Their Home for Winter
Images from Depositphotos
Have a Home Renovation Question?
Write it down below and we’ll get back to you. All questions get answered – every week, we’ll select one for publication in the column.
