Tausi Insider

Photo : SKatzenberger ( Shutterstock ) You may have heard of people—elderly folks in particular—getting a heart attack from shoveling snow. But what’ s so dangerous about shoveling? And is everybody at risk, or is this pretty rare? Here’s what you should know. Snow shoveling is hard exercise The connection between shoveling and cardiac events is real. The American Heart Association cites several studies that found higher rates of heart attacks and sudden cardiac deaths after snowstorms. Shoveling is hard work, and it can cause your blood pressure and heart rate to rise far higher than levels that are considered safe for sedentary people with heart conditions. Cold temperatures also seem to make chest pain more likely, possibly because your arteries can constrict in the cold. Who should check with a doctor before shoveling? You may have heard the advice to check with a doctor before beginning an exercise program. We have more information on that here : most people don’t need ...

Photo : rangizzz ( Shutterstock ) Whether you have a traditional green grass lawn , or one of the alternative varieties gaining traction recently—like bee lawns , clover lawns , or tapestry lawns —you probably want it to be intact when spring eventually rolls around. You also probably don’t want to put time and energy into maintaining it over the winter. The good news is that you really don’t need to do much to make that happen—just don’t kill it. Here’s how to avoid doing that. Find somewhere else to pile shoveled snow When you’re shoveling your sidewalk or driveway, it’s convenient to dump the snow onto your lawn, but try to avoid doing that if possible—especially if you used deicer on the pavement. (More on that in a bit.) Both the salt in the deicer and the weight of the snow could damage your lawn. Shovel carefully Speaking of shoveling, pay attention to what you’re doing when you get close to the edge of your lawn. In other words, try not to remove chunks of lawn or soil al...

Photo : Parilov ( Shutterstock ) If you live in an area that gets blessed by snow every winter, you’re probably pretty used to it. But no matter how experienced you are with snow, there’s one aspect of snow removal that most people aren’t prepared for: Your roof. If you’ve ever shoveled snow, you know it can be really heavy; it’s easy to heft a load of heavy, wet snow and then glance at your roof and imagine it quivering under the load. The obvious solution is to take that shovel in your hands and head up onto your roof to clear it off—but that can be very dangerous . So how can you safely clear snow off your roof so you can sleep peacefully and not worry about a collapse? When to worry about snow on the roof First things first—do you actually need to worry about snow on your roof? Sure , snow is heavy stuff—three feet of fresh snow or one foot of packed snow weighs approximately 30 pounds —but you have to remember that most building codes anticipate snow load, and your roof...

Photo : Shawn Hamilton ( Shutterstock ) Most roofs constructed after modern regulations were passed in the U.S. in 1988 are built to withstand a certain amount of extra weight in the form of snow. Even older roofs usually have some extra capacity to allow for snow. But sometimes, larger amounts of snow, or wet or compacted snow can exceed the capacity of your roof. Luckily, you can calculate your structure’s snow load, and if you think you’re getting close to the brink, take some precautions. Here are some helpful steps to take to keep snow from damaging your roof. Use a snow-load calculator There’s some information you’ll need to collect before you can make the calculations for your particular structure. First the length, width, and pitch of your roof will determine most of the calculation. Feed that information—along with your state, and the depth and type of snow—into this snow load calculator from OMNI, and it will tell you whether you’re in danger of exceeding the recommende...