How to Avoid Walking in a Water Damage Winter Wonderland

We all know the holiday standard song around pianos and from the mouths of rosy-cheeked carolers, but what most people don’t know is that Old Man Winter is notorious throughout the Long Island area for causing millions of dollars in water damage through heavy snow buildup each year. The best water damage restoration companies in Long Island make it a top priority to educate their clients on how to avoid the brunt of water damage from heavy snowfall.

The Truth about Snow Buildup

Snow may come down as delicate, unique little flakes that some of us still try catching on our tongues, but when it collects on rooftops it can take on the semblance of a slab of concrete. In a recent news article by ’The Item’, the Lancaster Fire Chief warns of the dangers of snow left to gather on rooftops: “A cubic foot of snow can weigh from seven pounds for snow that is new and dry to 30 pounds for old, compacted snow. Rain falling on accumulated snow will add more weight. Drifting snow can put excessive loads on the areas where it piles up, such as against equipment or penthouses, or at walls between roof levels”.

Though T.S. Eliot adamantly defends April as being the cruelest month (according to ‘The Wasteland’), Long Island residents would beg to differ, as February tends to get more snowfall than any other month, and water damage emergency companies are on red alert.

How to Defend Your Home against Water Damage

You can’t commend the sky to stop chucking down snow. You simply don’t share the same powers held by the Greek goddess Horae who commanded the seasons and thus prevent winter’s snowy breath from blowing polar gusts upon the rooftops of the ancient world. But you can defend your home against such chaos.

When you contact our 24/7 emergency water damage crew for a free inspection we will provide you with a number of tips to help safeguard your home from winter water damage. Make sure that after each snowfall you rake off as much snow as possible from your roof and from your gutters. Also, inspect the edges of your roof and inside your gutters for ice walls—sheets of ice that form and that can cause water runoff to enter your home. You will also want to make sure your attic is properly insulated so that heat can’t escape to the roof and cause snow to melt and seep through your shingles. This can cause wood rot and mold to form, and then you have a whole new problem on your hands to deal with.

Also, winter can cause pipes to freeze and crack thus resulting in home flooding. The American Red Cross offers some great tips on how to prevent pipe freezing from flooding your basement or crawl space. Before the freezing weather arrives close your interior valves that supply outdoor hose bibs and open them to allow water drainage. This will allow any remaining water to expand in a freeze without causing the pipes to crack. You should also insulate all water pipes that run through areas that are unheated. You may also want to investigate products designed to insulate water pipes such as heat tape, heat cable or pipe sleeves. These products will decrease your chance of suffering from a pipe burst.

Try and Stay Dry

By giving it the old college try and making the effort to protect your home from winter weather induced water damage, your chances of having your roof collapse or your pipes freeze and burst will be significantly reduced. Take it from an experienced water damage restoration company that has seen and heard it all. The customers who neglect a water damage prevention plan are the ones we see the most!