PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Mark Michalchuk and his crews from Expert Property Maintenance have been very busy ahead of the holiday weekend — and the cold weather approaching.
At one home, he and the crews were preparing gutters for the winter.
“We are just making sure they are not clogged up so there are no ice dams or anything like that,” he told KOIN 6 News. “That’s pretty much what we are doing so we are cleaning up the downspouts, cleaning up the gutters, blowing off the roof.”
If the leaves and debris are cleared out, water can’t collect and freeze.
“The most obvious place to make sure it’s cleaned out is at the downspout,” Michalchuk said. “What could happen is that water could start overdripping and it’s going to start getting onto the siding and it’s going to actually start causing water damage to the siding.”
Along with the gutters and roofs, he recommends homeowners disconnect outdoor hoses, shut off water to outdoor faucets and put a cap on them.
“They are a few bucks. Just go ahead and buy them and it’s going to save you a big headache,” he said. “Make sure you know where you can go to shut off the water so if there’s a leak it won’t cause a flood.”
His team is transitioning to snow removal and deicing for parking lots and driveways, a service they offer in the days ahead.
While you’re preparing the outside of your home there is one important item to make sure is working inside your house — your carbon monoxide detector.
Dr. Annette Lopez, a toxicologist at the Oregon Poison Center and an emergency room doctor, said that if the power goes out, people need to make sure their generators are kept away from the house.
“(The generator) should not be anywhere near windows or doors or the garage and then any sort of venting,” Dr. Lopez told KOIN 6 News.
She also reminded people to shut off their vehicles which can cause problems if they’re left idling in an enclosed garage.
“With lots of people and trying to get kids in the house, before you know it, nobody’s turned it off and it’s built up,” she said.