Winter-Proofing Your Whistler Home

Winter temperatures are slowly starting to creep in. For homeowners or property managers, this is the time to ensure each vacation home is ready to brace the cold. Here is a short-list of some of the basic precautions to take in order to prepare your property for winter:

Basic Precautions:
-        Keep home temperature above 13°C or 55℉ through the winter
-        Detach any exterior hoses or other similar utilities from your property and store indoors  
-        Turn off hose bibs that have an internal water control
-        Keep your room doors open to allow warm air to circulate throughout the house
-        Ensure pipes in crawl space, car port or around the exterior of the property are properly insulated to prevent freezing and potential bursting

If your home is going to remain empty for an extended period:
-        Shutoff water supply to washing machine(s) and dishwasher when possible
-        Open cabinets to allow warm air to circulate around pipes in kitchen and bathrooms
-        Unplug electrical devices – small kitchen appliances, TV’s, alarm clocks etc

Additionally, make sure windows and doors are sealed properly. If your home is a bit older, windows are likely overdue for re-caulking or you could replace your windows altogether. That said, replacing windows can be quite expensive, re-caulking is a much more affordable option and is part of regular home maintenance over the years. There are many little tips and tricks to improve energy efficiency that Whistler Vacation Homes can help with. Homes can become between 5-30% more energy efficient by taking certain measures to properly winter-proof and insulate! 

Vacation Homes & Water Heaters

Water heaters are an essential component to any home, but in a vacation property they are something that can be easily forgotten about. The average lifespan of a hot water tank is 8-12 years. A sticker on your water heater will tell you how old it is so you can consider if it’s time for a replacement.

It is especially important to keep track of how old your hot water heater is because they can corrode and leak at the end of their life span. Water damage is one of the worst things that can happen in any home. It is both costly and timely to repair. Damage in a vacation can be particularly troublesome, especially if goes unnoticed for a period of time. For this reason, we offer our clients free flood sensors to minimize the potential of serious water damage, regardless of whether anyone is in the home or not. Flood sensors work by sending a push notification to a cellphone app when water is detected in an area that should be completely dry. From there a plumbing technician can be dispatched to resolve the problem as soon as possible.

If you are considering a replacement, you should know that with today’s advances in technology there are various options for replacing your water heater. Historically, the most common in North America have been electric water tanks, which store warm water until released for use in the kitchen, bathroom or elsewhere. Based on our research, one of the most trusted brands of hot water tanks is Bradford White. Today, there are more energy efficient electric hot water tanks and there are also tankless or on-demand water heaters; that come in both gas or electric options. These latter options don’t store water, rather they only heat the water at the time it is dispatched through a set of internal heated coils. These are generally around 30% more efficient than regular hot water tanks, although they often come with a greater initial investment. Depending on the occupancy level of your vacation home it may be worth the initial investment to upgrade to a tankless water system. Additionally, the fact that it is substantially more eco-friendly, may be enough of a reason to make it worthwhile!