Guide to Winter Water Damage

2/9/2021 (Permalink)

Cleaning the snow off your roof is important in keeping your home safe from winter weather damage.

What Are Some Common Types of Winter Water Damage?

Ice dams are one of the first problems homeowners experience after a winter storm. The snow on your roof melts as it heats up and the water trickles into your gutters.

If your gutters are clogged the water will collect and freeze again, and begin to form a dam. The more snow and ice collect, the more the materials beneath them erode and will create access points for water. Roof leaks lead to attic insulation and ceiling damage. Water may leak down and rot wood framing and drywall.

This falling water outside can combine with melting snow on your lawn and soak the soil. Moisture then freezes and expands beneath your home. The upward bulge pushes into your basement and concrete foundation, causing cracks and weakening the structure. 

The ice melt may also drown your septic system’s drainfield. With nowhere to go, waste may push back into your home or rise to the surface of your lawn, creating a sewage biohazard, which would end up costing you money to have cleaned up.

Water may also expand in your pipes when it freezes, in turn causing the casing or connections of the pipes to crack and cause leaks. 

How Can You Prevent It?

When you know the temperatures are dropping and a freeze is coming, be prepared.  Clean your gutters to prevent ice dams. Adding more insulation to your attic floor will keep the heat inside your home so that it won't melt the snow through the roof.

Have your downspouts positioned in a way to drive melted snow toward the sewers, and be sure that there is a 6-inch soil slope around your homes foundation. These steps will ensure that melted snow will flush toward the street and not over-saturate your soil and leak onto your foundation.

Remove snow from your roof as it accumulates, do not let it pile up and become very heavy.  Prevent interior freezing by keeping your faucets on a drip when temperatures drop below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Apply insulating wraps to keep pipes warm.

If your home or business experiences water damage due to winter storms, call SERVPRO of Piscataway. Our trained and knowledgeable technicians are available 24/7 to come and restore your property to its preloss condition and make it "Like it never even happened."

SERVPRO of Piscataway

732-752-4445