Winter Tips: Be Prepared for Cold Weather

Mother Nature is giving us a quick reminder of what we have in store for the next few months so we wanted to share some winter tips that can help both at work and at home. All you can do as the temperatures continue to drop is prepare, follow these tips and hope that spring comes quickly! ​

• Oil/Propane/Natural Gas

  • Oil – Assign a task to a staff member who is responsible for checking the level every day. When the level gets to ¼ of a tank please submit a work order. This will give the oil company enough time to respond and fill your tank before it is empty.
  • Propane – As with oil, this should be checked frequently. The gauge on a propane tank will read the percentage full. So if the needle is at 80 than 80% of the tank is full.
  • Natural Gas – If your house has natural gas you have it easy. Unless there is a supply issue, you will essentially never run out.

• Generator

  • Do you have a portable generator or a full house emergency generator? If you do not know, ASK! If you do make sure a Maintenance Technician can walk you through your system and explain how everything works.

• Ice Melt

  • When used properly, a bag of ice melt should last for weeks. Ice melt is not intended to melt or replace shoveling. It will not be effective if it is put down on top of a snow covered walkway. It is only meant to melt ice that forms from the snow melting and refreezing.

• Shoveling

  • Walkways and exits need to be kept clear of snow in case there is an emergency and you must exit the house quickly. Shoveling is not easy and no one likes to do it but shoveling a couple inches of snow multiple times is much easier than shoveling a foot of snow all at once so a good practive is to keep up with it as it falls.

• Vans and Vehicles

  • Before driving any vehicle please make sure that ALL of the snow and ice has been removed. 

  • Invest in a snow paddle that will allow you to reach most, if not all, of the surfaces of the biggest vans. Walmart, Target or any hardware store will care these paddle-type snow removers. Also have a good ice scraper in the vehicle to clear ice from the windows.

  • If you must drive in the snow, slow down. Leave extra space between you and the vehicle in front of you. Give yourself extra room to stop in case it is slippery.

  • Prepare the vans prior to the predicted storms. Fills the fuel tanks, fill the windshield washer fluid and position the van for an easy exit out of the driveway and be ready in case you need to relocate your individuals.

• Plowing

  • Talk to your plowing contractor and work out a parking plan in advance of a storm so they can come easily clear the driveways and walkways and not have to organize moving cars/vans last minute.