5 Terrible Things that Could Happen This Winter

terrible things happen in winter

Ah, fall. The sound of the leaves crunching underfoot. The return of pumpkin spice everything. The crisp bite in the air that promises to give way to fierce ice storms, below zero temperatures and weeks without seeing the sun.

Sounds great, right?

Well, put down those pumpkin spice potato chips because winter is about to get real. And it’s bringing disasters with it. Among the worst are…

1. Puffback

No, we’re not talking about the animated pony movie. Your oil furnace is trying to kill you with something called puffback. These appliances, while effective at heating your home, do it by burning oil. This process, in turn, produces soot, which fills the lines in your home. Left on its own, this soot can unexpectedly explode causing damage to your home and spewing soot all over your grandmother’s curtains.

2. Dust Bunnies Take Their Revenge

Let’s say your home is heated by a gas or electricity instead of oil. When was the last time you had your heater cleaned and serviced? Five years ago? Ten? Never? Think of all of that dust and debris collecting in the filter, the vents, and the heating coils. Unless you want your furnace to go up in flame like a campfire at a scout camp, it’s time to have that heat source serviced.

3. Flood Waters Rise From Within

Unless this is your first winter in your home, you already know which pipes are prone to freezing. That’s why you leave the sink on a trickle in that one bathroom on that one part of the house when the temperatures dip below freezing. However, it may only take one night of forgetting to leave the sink on to wake up to a swimming pool in your kitchen. If you don’t want to take a frigid dip to get coffee, now is the time to insulate those pipes that are prone to freezing.

4. A Family of Raccoons Move In or You Find Mice

Sure, you are likely to notice if a family of raccoons moved into the attic of your full-time home, but what about your vacation property? One client, after leaving their summer home for the season, had several uninvited guests move into the warm spaces of their home. When they returned in the spring, their home had become a veritable den of iniquity where generations of raccoons and mice were now living. After the exterminators exorcised the critters, we came in to clean up after the party.

5. Your Neighbor’s Disaster Becomes Your Disaster Too

Even if you do everything right, your neighbor’s disaster can quickly become yours too. Water used to put out your neighbor’s electrical fire, water from burst pipes in your neighbor’s basement or raccoons that have taken up residence in your neighbor’s attic can all find a way into your house as well. Then you are left to clean up in the cold.

If a Disaster Happens

When the unexpected happens, even in the dead of winter, trust the professionals at Embassy Cleaners for all of your disaster clean up needs. From removing water to cleaning drapes to cleaning up after your personal raccoon party, our technicians have the tools and know-how to have your home and belongings as good as new in no time.

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