The snow is coming, and while everyone loves white Christmases, snowmen, and the beauty of a snowy landscape, snow can do some real damage to your home and property if you aren’t prepared.
Thankfully there are some things you can do to help prevent snow damage so you can enjoy this winter.
Preventing Snow Damage Around Your Property
Protect Your Pipes
We’re all aware of the reality of freezing pipes, especially in our cold New England winters.
To prevent this from happening in your home, make sure to drain any water from your outdoor faucets and sprinkler systems. Disconnect outdoor hoses and cover the faucets with insulators. You can also put insulators on any unprotected pipes in unheated places of your home like garages, attics, or basements.
Watch Your Roof for Snow Overload
You don’t want your roof overloaded with snow, because this can cause some pretty significant damage to your roof. If you hear any cracking or popping sounds, call a reputable roofing contractor right away.
You can remove snow from your roof with a long-handled snow rake. Make sure to remove the snow near the gutters as well–this will help prevent ice dams.
Clean Out Your Gutters To Avoid Ice Dams
An ice dam occurs when ice and snow melt during the day and then refreeze at night, clogging up your gutters. This ice blockage can force water up under the roofline and lead to expensive damage to your home.
Also make sure your gutters are free of all leaves, sticks, and other debris that could lead to ice dams. This is a fall maintenance task that you should do every fall before the snow flies.
Remove Damaged or Dangerous Tree Branches Hanging Over Your House
Removing overhanging branches from your house is a great preventative measure to take to prevent potential roof damage in the wintertime. Even if they looked sturdier earlier in the year, pruning the tree limbs is essential.
When stressed, branches can break and fall; and when they do, they can damage your home or car, or injure someone standing nearby. So make sure to trim your trees’ branches so they are away from your house.
Keep up to date on all of the latest home maintenance tips for any season right here on our Norway Hill Home Inspections Blog!