Many of our homes and personal lives now bear the scars of the brutal, unmerciful nature of freezing exposure: broken plumbing pipes and other components, the resulting flooding as the thaw reveals the leaks, overworked heating systems pushed to the brink, chimney fires, and the consequences of carbon monoxide poisoning from improper heat sources, to name some of the common problems we’ve just experienced.

    Apparently we have just been taught a lesson, the hard way, that those seemingly mundane operational aspects of our house and routine building practices are actually quite important when it counts. Proper usage of insulation in its various forms is important for many parts of the house structure; protecting water pipes from freezing, holding onto heat in the building envelope as long as possible, and making HVAC ducts and components more efficient when delivering conditioned air.

     Personal knowledge of basic mechanical systems of the house can prove valuable when the need arises, such as knowing where and how to shut off the water supply to the house in the event of an uncontrolled water leak.

     Performing regular (seasonal) professional mechanical system checkups such as HVAC (air conditioning) and water heaters, especially aging components, may help ensure they’re ready for challenging use.

     Basic knowledge of the workings of one’s house may be obtained through the performance of a professional home inspection. The sole purpose of the home, or real estate inspection, is to apprise the inspection client of the condition of the home for the client’s benefit in maintaining and living in it. The inspection process often provides the client an educational benefit as well, helping to identify and instruct regarding important functional aspects that will be helpful when the need arises.