Ways to Avoid Winter Water Damage to Your Home

11/21/2019 (Permalink)

Prevent costly damage to your home in winter with some pre-season maintenance and cold-snap tasks.

Burst pipes, storms, rooftop ice dams and other cold-weather hazards can unleash winter water damage at your house. Prepare your home to withstand the challenges of a New England winter and remain water-tight.

Prepare for Winter Storms

Do these tasks before winter hits and you’ll have a better chance of preventing storm-related damage to your home.

• Clean out the gutters.
• Disconnect and drain all outside hoses. Shut off the inside valves that supply water to outdoor faucets and hookups if you can. Open outdoor faucets to allow residual water to drain, and keep them open during the cold weather months.
• Have a contractor check your roof to see if it can sustain the weight of a heavy snowfall. Repair roof leaks.
• Remove tree branches that overhang your (and your neighbor's) house.

Prevent Burst Pipes

A frozen pipe that bursts can cause an immense amount of damage in a short time, unleashing up to 250 gallons of water in 24 hours. These tips can help prevent a big leak from a pipe that bursts (and you may even save on your heating costs, too).

• Insulate walls and attics, and caulk and weather-strip doors and windows.
• Wrap water pipes in your basement or crawl spaces with foam insulation sleeves.
• Keep your home’s temperature set to at least 55 degrees, and make sure your furniture isn't blocking your heating vents.
• If you have a fireplace, keep the flue closed when you're not using it.

During a deep freeze, keep your pipes from freezing by:

• Opening kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warm air to circulate around pipes.
• Keeping a slight trickle of water flowing through faucets connected to pipes that run through unheated or unprotected spaces.
• Draining the water system if your house will be unattended during cold periods.

Avoid Ice Dams

Ice dams form when water from melted snow refreezes above your eaves or in the gutters and seeps in under the roof, soaking interior walls. Here’s how to prevent ice dams from forming on your roof:

• Adequately ventilate your attic.
• Insulate the attic floor well to minimize the amount of heat rising through the attic from within the house.
• Clear leaves and debris from your gutters and downspouts.

When you have suffered a water or other disaster at your home or business, call SERVPRO of Bloomfield / Enfield at 860-216-2785

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When you have suffered a water or other disaster at your home or business, call SERVPRO of Bloomfield / Enfield at 860-216-2785