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Lessons from a Pennsylvania winter

By: Shannon Lee , Contributing Writer
In: Home Improvement Tips

For most of my life, I lived in the American south. From the hills of Tennessee to the Georgia coast to the mountains of Kentucky, I have dealt with humidity, sweltering summers, wildlife run rampant, and of course, the occasional person who made fun of my southern drawl.

What I had never truly dealt with was a harsh winter - or snow of any significance, for that matter. The occasional ice storm that blanketed Kentucky in my youth was over quickly, and the merest dusting of snow was usually cause for celebration because it meant school was cancelled.

But now I have settled into my forever home in Pennsylvania. We live far out in the woods, where trees hide our home completely, especially during the lush summertime months. It's much cooler than it ever was in the south, even during the worst of the summer, and I love that. But what I don't love is the winter -- and oh my goodness, does Pennsylvania know how to do winter!

Lessons learned from a hard winter

One of the most unusual things I noticed as soon as I moved to the area were strange things on the roofs that looked like little metal birds, placed carefully about a foot or two apart on the roofline. I had never seen these things before, but they were suddenly everywhere, especially on older houses. Caught up in other things, I didn't bother to ask questions, figuring I would get to it eventually.

But a few weeks ago, when we were knee-deep in over two feet of snow, I heard a horrendous sound. It was a rumble that shook the house, a sound just like an avalanche. I turned just in time to see the wall of white pass the second-story window. And within a moment, it was over.

Upon inspection, I found that all the snow on the roof had suddenly cascaded down -- taking the gutters with it. The avalanche of snow was so big it almost obscured the front porch. That's when I realized what those little things on the roof were -- and sure enough, some research told me that we definitely need those snow guards.

Live and learn, right?

I learned other things from this harsh winter. I already knew that pipes in old houses were prone to freezing, and I had dealt with my share of those, but I now recognize the true value of flexible pipes. These fantastic inventions have kept our water moving smoothly, even in the midst of a deep freeze.

If you have a basement, a good sump pump is an absolute must. Just as important is a battery backup, one that will make sure that pump continues to run even if a tree takes down the power lines. Melting snow turns into a ridiculous amount of water, and those power lines do come down, and then what?

Perhaps the most important lesson I learned throughout my first serious Pennsylvania winter is the value of having two of everything. The sump pump has the aforementioned battery backup. The well pump has a backup, too. When the power lines go down, a generator fires up. If the propane furnace decides to take a weekend off, electric heaters are at the ready, as well as plenty of quilts. And don't forget to invest in plenty of salt and a few snow shovels, just in case the snow blower decides it's too cold to bother starting up.

Whether it's an old house or a sleek new construction home, the rules for winter are the same: Get prepared!

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