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Protecting Your Home From Water Damage in Winter: Key Steps to Take

Name: Exit Mold
Address: 1 Irwin Ct., Lynbrook, New York, 11563, United States
Telephone: (516) 512-7877

Water damage is always a frustrating topic, especially when it comes to your home. You put a lot of work into keeping your home in tip-top shape, so when something happens that is out of your control, it can be overwhelming to deal with.

Your home can suffer from water damage at any point in the year, but it can be more extensive or impactful during the colder months. Protecting your home from water damage is a great way to ensure your property stays dry and safe no matter what the season has in store.

Let’s break down a few key ways to avoid water disasters in your home below.

Step #1 For Protecting Your Home From Water Damage: Protect Your Pipes

The pipes in your home have the big job of moving water to and from your home. As you crank on your washing machine or turn on a tap to run a bath for your kids, the pipes in your home need to work properly in order to perform these tasks without incident. Unfortunately, as the weather cools down, they become more susceptible to the elements.

Frozen and burst pipes are one of the most common causes of water damage in the winter season. In fact, a single burst pipe can cause thousands of dollars in repairs if you aren’t careful! Water pipes can freeze any time temperatures drop below 32 degrees, but it is more common once the temperature hovers around 20 degrees or lower.

After that, any uninsulated or exterior pipes are at a higher risk of freezing solid. Water expands when it freezes, and pipes are not designed to expand significantly like this. They will burst in the pressure, and once the temperature warms up, the ice will melt and the pipe will begin to flow again. This time, however, the water will flow all over your floors or behind your walls.

Insulating to Prevent Frozen Pipes

The best way to avoid all this is to insulate your pipes! It is a common practice to have insulated pipes in colder weather climates, but that doesn’t mean every water pipe is prepared for the season change.

Check your exposed exterior pipes and the pipes in areas like unheated garages, attics and crawl spaces. Adding foam or fiberglass pipe wraps can help keep the water flowing no matter how cold it gets outside.

Step #2: Look For Leaks Inside and Outside

Another important step when it comes to protecting your home from water damage in winter is to look for leaks or problematic areas in your home. What might have started as a small drip or leak around your tub or water heater can easily grow into a larger problem as the weather changes.

Take a look around your home at all of the appliances that use water to function and all of the fixtures that come into contact with water daily. Fix broken or worn seals, tighten up loose connections and call a technician to handle any more extensive repairs right away.

The longer a drip goes unnoticed, the worse the situation can become. Even a small puddle that goes unaddressed can lead to a large mold problem during the colder months. Our homes are sealed up tight and ventilation may not be as efficient during the winter, so even a small amount of moisture can lead to a serious mold infestation. Keep your home dry to keep the mold away!

Step # 3 For Protecting Your Home From Water Damage: Prepare Your Exterior

Even though you are tucked away in your warm home during the colder months, your home’s exterior is exposed to the elements all day every day. This is why it is so important to get it ready before the temperature drops!

Start by clearing your gutters so any precipitation can flow down and away from your home safely. Blocked gutters can lead to a buildup of snow and ice, which can cause serious roof damage, ice dams and significant water damage in your attic area. Pull leaves and other yard debris from your gutters and downspouts regularly to keep this risk lower.

You should also take the time to disconnect your hoses and blow out your sprinkler system. Exterior pipes and water spigots may be outside of your home, but they can still cause a big water damage problem if they burst or break. Any excess water outside can overwhelm the ground and can leak backwards into your home, leaving you with a flooded basement or soggy drywall without much notice.

Step # 3 For Protecting Your Home From Water Damage: Prepare Your Exterior

Step #4: Be Ready For Anything

Even if you do your best when it comes to protecting your home from water damage during the winter season, it can still happen. Having a reliable emergency plan is a great way to stop a problem in its tracks.

Know where your water shut-off valves are located in your home, and be sure you understand your utility room and breaker box for true emergencies. Being able to shut off power or stop the flow of water at a moment’s notice is crucial for preventing the situation from getting worse.

You should also stay up-to-date on any regular home and appliance maintenance to keep your property running smoothly and install a water leak detector in areas of your home that you don’t check often. These leak detection devices can sound an alarm when it comes into contact with moisture so you can be alerted immediately as a situation develops.

Finally, you should have a reliable water damage restoration team that you can count on if things go awry. Water damage can have some pretty serious consequences if you don’t tackle it quickly, so make sure you understand what to do and who to call when you discover a water disaster in your home.

Leave your water damage recovery to the professionals at Exit Mold! We are the experts when it comes to protecting your home from water damage, but we can also help you clean up if you suffer from a watery mess at home. Give us a call and we will take care of your water damage restoration every step of the way.

Struggling with water damage this season? Give Exit Mold a call at (516) 512-7877 for a quick and efficient water damage restoration.

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