Page 10 The INDEPENDENT, November 16, 2011 Tips given to protect property in winter Help Murphy’s help Boys & Girls by selling Christmas trees Murphy’s Furniture is look- ing for volunteers to work the annual Christmas tree lot bene- fiting the Boys and Girls club. All shift times are available. Murphy’s Furniture staffs the lot Monday – Thursday. Looking for volunteers for Friday through Sunday. Shifts are from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. The lot will be open seven days a week, 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the parking lot of Murphy’s furniture in Cornelius on TV hwy. Tree sales will run November 26 through Decem- ber 12. Douglas, Grand and If the last two years are any indication of what is in store for the upcoming season, this win- ter will be a serious threat to homes and businesses, ac- cording to the Insurance Insti- tute for Business & Home Safe- ty (IBHS). During both 2010 and 2011, the U.S. received near record amounts of snowfall, including 2011’s Groundhog Day Bliz- zard, which caused $1.1 billion in insured losses and more than $2 billion in total losses, according to the National Cli- matic Data Center. “Winter weather can inflict substantial damage to your home or business,” said Julie Rochman, president & CEO of IBHS. “Preparing now, while cooler weather setting in re- minds us that winter is coming, but before freezing tempera- tures arrive, will help you avoid Noble Firs will start at $20. Youth groups, Civic Clubs, Key Clubs, families and individuals – We need you all! Call Mur- phy’s Furniture at (503) 640- 1124 or Email us at info@mur- physfurniture.net All – 100 percent – of the proceeds go to the Inukai Fam- ily Boys and Girls Club, which serve hundreds of western Washington County youth, ages 6 thru 18. Last year over 300 trees were sold and it would be great to do even more this year! Even if you can only work one shift, your partic- ipation will make a difference! 70 th Annual Banks Union Point Cemetery Dinner and Bazaar Saturday, December 3rd Holiday Bazaar 10 am to 7 pm Turkey Dinner 12 pm to 7 pm S TRASSEL ’ S A UTO R EPAIR & H YDRAULIC H OSES Adults $12 Seniors (65) $10 Children (5-12) $8 4 & under free 2-4-6 S PIRAL W IRE S UCTION H OSES A DAPTORS - 3/16” TO 2” A MERICAN & M ETRIC F ITTINGS B ULK O IL P RODUCTS 276 S UNSET , B ANKS 503-324-9808 Banks Elementary Cafeteria 42350 NW Trellis Way RELIABLE DEPENDABLE Introducing the Stihl BR 200, lightweight backpack design ideal for big jobs around the home. The MS 250 A high power-to-weight ratio makes this one of the best home- owner chain saws on the market. We have Viking Caulks in stock Stihl BR 200 $ Backpack Blower 95 299 Stihl MS 250 Chain Saw with 20” bar $ 399 95 Buy a Stihl Chain Saw and get a Stihl Carrying Case for Free* *$39. 95 value . PRECISION OUTD OOR POWER EQUIPMENT Banks Hardware 503-324-5221 • 150 N. Main St., Banks • Mon - Fri 8am to 6pm • Saturday 8am to 5pm • Sunday 10am to 4pm costly losses.” IBHS’ Severe Winter Weath- er page on www.DisasterSafe ty.org provides guidance on how to protect your home or business against roof collapse and other winter weather-relat- ed perils. Ice Dams – An ice dam is an accumulation of ice at the low- er edge of a sloped roof, usual- ly at the gutter. When interior heat melts the snow on the roof, the water will run down and refreeze at the roof’s edge, where temperatures are much cooler. The ice builds up and blocks water from draining off of the roof, forcing the water under the roof covering and into the attic or down the inside walls of the house. Take the fol- lowing steps to decrease the likelihood that ice dams will form: • Keep the attic well-ventilat- ed. The colder the attic, the less melting and refreezing on the roof. • Keep the attic floor well-in- sulated to minimize the amount of heat rising through the attic from within the house. • As an extra precaution against roof leaks in case ice dams do form, when re-roofing install an ice and water barrier under your roof covering that extends from the lowest edges of all roof surfaces to a point at least 24 inches inside the exte- rior wall line of the building. Frozen Pipes – Frozen wa- ter in pipes can cause water pressure buildup between the ice blockage and the closed faucet at the end of a pipe, which leads to pipes bursting at their weakest point. Pipes in at- tics, crawl spaces and outside walls are particularly vulnera- ble to freezing in extremely cold weather. Frozen pipes can also occur when pipes are near openings in the outside wall of a building, including where tel- evision, cable or telephone lines enter the structure. To keep water in pipes from freez- ing, take the following steps: • Fit exposed pipes with in- sulation sleeves or wrapping to slow the heat transfer. The more insulation the better. • Seal cracks and holes in outside walls and foundations near water pipes with caulking. • Keep cabinet doors open during cold spells to allow warm air to circulate around pipes (particularly in the kitchen and bathroom). • Keep a slow drip of water flowing through faucets con- nected to pipes that run through an unheated or unpro- tected space. • Drain the water system, es- pecially if your building will be unattended during cold peri- ods. Is Your Roof Strong Enough? Building age is a ma- jor factor in how much snow a roof can handle. Newer build- ing codes provide much better guidance for estimating snow loads, particularly the in- creased loads near changes in roof elevations where snow drifts and snow falling from an upper roof can build up on the lower roof near the step. For flat roofs, the step-down area between roof sections is partic- ularly susceptible to snow over- load because of the tendency for ice and snow collection, es- pecially during periods of windy weather. Older roofs can suffer from corrosion of members and con- nections, which can reduce its ability to resist high snow loads. Buildings with light- weight roofs, such as metal buildings or built- up roofs on bar joists, generally provide less protection from overload than heavy roofs. Rooftop equipment and roof projections, such as mechani- cal equipment that is over 2 feet tall, causes snow accumu- lation due to drift, creating the need for higher snow load con- See Winter on page 11