How to Prepare Your Home for Winter in Pennsylvania

Winter in Pennsylvania brings beautiful snow, cozy evenings, and — if your home isn’t ready — a long list of potential headaches. From frozen pipes to roof leaks and ice dams, cold weather can quickly reveal weaknesses in your home’s structure and systems.

A little preparation now can prevent costly damage later. Here are practical steps every homeowner should take to winter-proof their home, based on guidance from PA.gov.

🏡 Outside Your Home: Prevent Damage Before It Happens

1. Clean Out Your Gutters

Before the snow starts falling, remove leaves, sticks, and other debris from your gutters and downspouts. Clear gutters allow melting snow and ice to flow freely, helping prevent ice dams and roof damage.

2. Trim Trees and Remove Dead Branches

Winter storms can be heavy, and ice or snow on tree limbs can cause them to snap unexpectedly. Trimming branches — especially those hanging over your roof, driveway, or walkways — can protect your home, vehicles, and anyone walking nearby.

3. Seal Exterior Cracks and Gaps

Even small gaps in your foundation or walls can let melting snow seep in. Seal these areas with weather-appropriate caulk or weather stripping to keep out both water and cold air, improving your energy efficiency.

🏠 Inside Your Home: Protect Your Pipes and Your Family

1. Keep a Consistent Temperature

Maintaining a steady indoor temperature — even when you’re away — helps keep pipes from freezing. A frozen pipe can burst and cause serious water damage in minutes.

2. Add Extra Insulation

Heat often escapes through the attic, melting roof snow faster than gutters can handle. This can lead to ice dams, leaks, and structural damage. Adding attic insulation helps keep heat in your living space and your roof cold enough to prevent premature melting.

3. Inspect and Protect Pipes

Check your plumbing for cracks or leaks before temperatures drop. Wrap exposed pipes with insulation or heating tape to reduce the risk of freezing. Don’t forget pipes in unheated spaces like basements, crawl spaces, or garages.

4. Check Safety Systems

Winter means increased use of heating equipment, which raises fire and carbon monoxide risks. Test your smoke alarms, replace batteries, and install carbon monoxide detectors if you don’t have them already.

5. Know Where Your Water Shutoff Valve Is

If a pipe does freeze, shutting the water off quickly can minimize damage. Make sure everyone in your household knows how to locate and operate the main shutoff valve.

❄️ Prepare Your Home for Winter

Pennsylvania winters can be unpredictable. Preparing your home now can help prevent:

• Costly water damage from frozen pipes

• Roof and gutter damage from ice dams

• Energy loss from drafts and poor insulation

• Safety hazards from downed limbs or heating malfunctions

If you want to take it a step further, consider a pre-winter home inspection to prepare your home for winter. At Keystone Castle Inspections, we can help identify insulation gaps, moisture vulnerabilities, and other issues before they turn into mid-winter emergencies.

👉 Schedule your winter readiness inspection: 

call/text 412-204-6149 to protect your home before the first snowflake falls.