Children love snow, and vast numbers of us love the colder time of year too, mainly because of the winter holidays, But what happens to your home if the climate is a lot colder than expected? The cool temperatures can influence your home’s base and may even damage both your exterior and interior. Get acquainted with the unfavorable effects that freezing weather can cause to your home and what you can do to limit the harm.
Pipes and other plumbing fixtures
The cold weather can damage the pipes inside and outside your home, especially if you haven’t appropriately protected them. Investigate your pipework for any breaks, cracks, holes, and most importantly, for leaks.
During wintertime, your uninsulated pipelines might be in danger of freezing and bursting. When temperatures plunge, protect your uncovered pipework with heat tape or foam insulation to evade this fiasco.
Plumbing experts recommend letting warm air flow to plumbing lines and valves, and open the cabinets under your sinks. Additionally, they advise to turn on taps lightly, so the small drips can keep the water flowing.
Gutters and outside drainage
Winter can bring unpleasant surprises for your home when ice and snow obstruct your gutters. You better get rid of sticks, leaves, and other materials to forestall ice damming in your guttering, which impedes water progression and causes small leaks into lofts and between wall structures.
Simultaneously, water freezing inside the gutters and downspouts can prompt further structural damage, which implies that you’ll later have to pay for costly repairs.
On the off chance that ice dams occur even when you’ve taken precautions, fret not and apply a de-icing agent or use a heated gutter wire to clear the ice and let water flow freely.
Septic system damage
At the point when ice and snow build-ups reach the parts of your septic system, they can damage the various components, making the entire framework ineffective. When certain parts freeze, anaerobic bacteria’s metabolic pace in your septic tank will decline, and the waste material will remain whole.
Luckily, you can easily prevent such problems by covering your septic tank with a protective cover to keep it warm and operational during the winter. Additionally, use your septic system often, and don’t forget to run the water to keep it all intact when it’s nippy outside.
Roof and house exterior
Thanks to your heating system, warm air that rises to the upper rooms keeps wood bars and shingles warm, and this helps to melt any ice and snow on top of your rooftop. That’s great; however, the external edges don’t receive the same heat as your roof’s central area, so the excess water creates ice dams. When these ice dams melt, leaks occur and form mold, mildew, and wood decay, among various structural issues.
Also, strong winds and winter storms can damage shingles and cause dampness, raising your repair costs. Eliminate ice dams and snow build-ups at the earliest opportunity to keep water from entering the structures of your property. Moreover, when dampness reaches your chimney, the brickwork may fall apart, causing further harm to your fireplace.
Aside from the rooftop, the base of your house is in danger, as well. Often, the freezing winter temperatures cause the ground to freeze and melt continuously. That makes the soil beneath your home move slightly, causing cracks and other structural damages to the foundations of your property.
Doors, windows, and basement
Sudden changes in winter temperature damages the caulk around your window frames, which thus makes drafts that let cold air into your rooms. If you feel air currents around the interior of your property, even when all openings are closed, check your windows and seal any cracks and holes with caulk. That way, you’ll keep your home warm and your energy bills minimized.
Your entryways defend your home when it’s freezing outside; however, when presented with frigid conditions, your door frames can become delicate and moist. That causes the wood to decay, which leads to termite infestation. As soon as temperatures get warmer, check if any of your door frames need to be replaced.
Basement flooding occurs now and then, but the dissolving ice and snow can surely flood your basement if left unattended. An ideal approach to prevent such issues from happening is to check your sump pump and see if it’s working effectively. Also, clear any basement drains before the winter comes. Winterize your sump pump appropriately, and when the temperature plunges, remove the extension hose, to keep it from freezing.
Conclusion
Winter damage can seriously affect your home and become worse with time if you don’t take action when needed. Checks and inspections of your property could prevent from costly repairs. Maintenance is also often very simple, and by applying the above-mentioned tips, you can reduce the chance of serious risks.