Home Improvement Stack Exchange
Home Improvement Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [severe-weather]

18 questions
21
votes
11 answers

How do you protect solar panels from hail?

Saw another question on solar panels and it reminded me of one big thing that always made me hesitant to consider them. We get several hail storms each year and having an expensive glass covered(?) panel facing almost straight up seems like it is…
JohnFx
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13 answers

How do I prepare my home for a power outage?

With several storms in the Northeast United States and more storms predicted this week, there have been lots of extended power outages. What are things to do to prepare your house for a power outage especially in the winter. What are things you…
SchwartzE
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16
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5 answers

My house was hit by lightning. What should I do?

A huge thunderstorm passed by the other night and lightning hit the condo building I live in. The fire department came out and inspected the attic, and removed the antenna that was hit. Inside the condo unit, some of the outlets no longer seem to…
The Other Steven
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15
votes
6 answers

How to prepare home to prevent pipe leaks during a severe winter storm?

The news has shown much footage of homes in Texas being destroyed by pipe leaks after a storm hit in February 2021. I live at a similar latitude to the places impacted by the storm, though it did not cause such destruction where I live. What should…
Village
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9
votes
3 answers

Do I need to do anything for my external spigots during a short hard freeze?

Like the questioner in Do I need to do anything to protect my pool during a rare freeze? I live in central florida and its going to be a hard freeze tonight. Do I need to let the spigots drip or cover them for a short period of time? It is much less…
chotchki
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7
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4 answers

How to prevent push button on screen/storm door latch from freezing?

I came home today and discovered the push button on the front screen door was frozen solid and it wouldn't move even with brute strength banging. I thought, no problem, I'll just go to the back door, but that button was frozen too! I had to ring…
David Bailey
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6 answers

Frozen Pipe(s) — How to Respond?

I woke up this morning to find a trickle of water pressure to my cold bathroom taps, and no water pressure to my hot water bathroom taps. The water was fine in the rest of the house. Since we're in the middle of an unusual cold snap (20 degrees) in…
Alana Storm
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3
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2 answers

Weatherize old multifamily building against extreme heat

I live in a medium-size co-op apartment building from the 1920s (30+ units, 3 story, in Seattle). As extreme weather events have intensified in recent years, we have gotten more interested in weatherizing the building. One issue that has remained…
Maximilian Press
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2 answers

Is snow piled against the outer wall likely to cause damp?

My question is basically that recently we have had a lot of snow, some of it is high enough to be over the damp-proof course (DPC). Should I be worried about this, or would damp penetration take longer than the snow takes to clear?
Paul Michaels
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How to fix a double door that has shifted during the winter

Like many regions, this was the worst winter we've had in 20+ years. Over the winter I've noticed that my double doors leading outside have shifted considerably. The top of the doors now rub together, creating great friction when opening or closing…
Karl T
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2 answers

How can I repair a slow leak in my concrete fountain?

I have a painted concrete fountain whose bottom well slowly leaks over about 2 days. My area gets to ~-20c (-9ish F) in the winter, so I worry that trapped water is slowly destroying it. I suspect most cracks are in or near the pump area (circled…
Charles Burns
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1 answer

Installing water pipe to outbuilding - how to handle insulation/cold so it won't burst/will be usable in winter?

I'm in southeast England, so in winter temperatures can drop below zero C. I want to run a permanently installed water pipe to a shed workshop (10 m from house). I can always install an electric water heater in the shed so a cold water supply would…
Stilez
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5 answers

How do I weatherize an MDF shed?

I had some spare MDF lying around, and didn't have much to do with it. We needed somewhere to shove our grill and gardening tools, so a couple of screws later I now have a reasonably unattractive MDF shed, built as a 3:4 triangle to fit under the…
kyle
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Radiators no longer heating up after cold weather

I have a Worcestor Danesmoor boiler that lives in a stone outhouse and heats the water and radiators in my house. The heating is set to come on at certain times of day, but during some recent cold weather it stopped coming on. I tried pressing the…
rw2
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Trane Furnace not starting in freezing rain - three flashes

I have a Trane hot air furnace that has recently become temperamental with freezing rain or snow contaminating the air supply. Can humidity in the air supply interfere with its operation? In new England, we usually have very cold and dry weather,…
0xF2
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