As a well-known flood and water damage restoration company in Omaha, Restoration Now! knows that Midwestern winters can be really hard on your home’s structure and foundation. With the swift temperature changes we’ve gotten used to over the years, things like frozen pipes and cracks in your home’s foundation have become commonplace problems. Even small amounts of snow and ice that collect on your roof can cause major problems like ice dams, which can end up leaking water into your attic.
The good news is that there are things you can do to prevent these kinds of problems from happening. In this post, our Restoration Now! Omaha team offers tips to help you protect your home from the damage that snow and ice can cause this winter.
Prepping for Those Winter Storms
- Don’t turn off the heat when you leave your home, as that can cause your pipes to freeze. If you need to turn down your heat considerably or for a long period (say you’re going on vacation and want to save on your heating costs), open the hot and cold faucets in your sinks just enough that they drip. This will help to prevent frozen pipes, as moving water takes much longer to freeze.
- This may seem like a no-brainer, but many people forget to close their fireplace flues after the fire’s gone out, and this is a very quick way to drop your home’s temperature. If you’re the forgetful type, consider putting a reminder note nearby so you can avoid coming downstairs in the morning to find icicles dripping from your mantle.
- Know the location of the main water shutoff and know how to use it. You may need to know how to shut off the water quickly in case of an emergency.
Maintenance After the Storm
- To reduce the chance of an ice dam forming on your roof, Restoration Now! Omaha suggests you take the time to make sure your gutters and downspouts are free of the kinds of debris a snowstorm can whip up. It’s not uncommon for a good-sized branch still full of leaves to fall into a gutter and go unnoticed, backing up snowmelt and flooding your attic.
- The same goes for your storm drains. Make sure they’re clean of any debris so excess water has somewhere to go.
- Clear mounds of snow from around exhaust pipes and air vents on heaters, furnaces and dryers. You’d be surprised at how many of these outlets there are in your home, so make an inventory of them if you haven’t already.
Call Restoration Now! Omaha Today for Water Damage Restoration Services at (402) 502-7277!
We at Restoration Now! hope that this guide helps you plan for and prevent the kinds of water and flood damage that happen in winter. Even with the best planning, though, things can go wrong, and when they do our Restoration Now! Omaha team is here to help you! We offer 24/7 emergency flood and water damage restoration service, so give us a call today and let us start cleaning up the winter mess!