Protect Your Home from Winter Storm Damage?

1/10/2020 (Permalink)

Protect Your Home from Winter Storm Damage?

With the recent snow in the Indianapolis area, we thought it was a good time to talk about how to protect your home from winter storms. The snow, ice and heavy winds of winter storms can cause substantial damage to your home if not dealt with quickly. In the following blog, we will go over common damages to your home from winter weather and what causes them. We will also cover what you can do to reduce the risk of damage occurring. If your home, or business, should, unfortunately, suffer damage from winter storms this season, you know you can trust the cleanup and restoration experts at SERVPRO of Indianapolis West.

Water Damage from Snow & Ice Melt

After the snow falls, some or all of it eventually starts melting especially around your warm home. As the sun pokes out, the snow melts off of the roof and around the foundation of your home. All of this water will hopefully find its way down through the gutters and away from your home’s foundation. But, if there are any cracks around the windows or foundation or damage to the roof, the water can find its way into your home. You might discover water around a door or window that isn’t sealed completely. You might find a drip from your ceiling or excessive moisture in your basement. 

If you do discover a leak around your windows or doors, you will want to make sure you get any cracks or holes sealed up before the next time. If you have a roof leak, you’ll probably want to call a water damage restoration company, like SERVPRO of Indianapolis West, to fix the leak and check for any water damage or mold growth that isn’t visible. If not treated and cleaned up, water damage can cause significant damage to your home’s roof, walls, insulation, structure and more. One last thing to check is to make sure that your gutters are not damaged or clogged and are carrying the melting water away from your home. 

Gutter Damage from Ice

Clogged gutters can cause water damage to your home during the warm weather months, but when the temperature drops below freezing, clogged gutters can lead to extensive damage to the gutters themselves. That is because as the water collects in the gutter and freezes, the weight of the ice can tear the gutters away from your home. 

To keep this from happening, it’s important to check your gutters to ensure they are clean before the next big snowstorm or severe winter weather hits. When checking and cleaning out your gutters, be very careful and don’t get on the roof when it is wet as you could easily slip and hurt yourself. 

Roof Damage from Heavy Snow & Ice

Not only can heavy snow and ice collect in your gutters and destroy them but snow and ice accumulation on your roof can also cause damage to your home. One of the most common damages to homes during heavy snowstorms are roof collapses. It really doesn’t take much snow to cause a roof to collapse. As little as two feet of packed, heavy snow can cause damage or the collapse of a roof. 

If the snow has accumulated on your roof beyond two feet, you may want to hire a snow removal service to remove it or you can buy a snow shovel designed to remove snow from roofs. This is a more common problem in Michigan and northern states but excessive snow accumulation on roofs can happen in the Indianapolis area. 

Roof Damage from Heavy Winds

Not only can snow and ice cause damage to your roof during the winter months, but severe winds can too. We’ve all experienced those days when the cold wind is blowing so hard that it chills us to our bones. That same wind can also rip off shingles on your home’s roof. With damaged shingles, the snow and melting water can seep into your home and cause extensive water damage. 

While you can’t prevent the wind from damaging your roof’s shingles, you can be proactive in looking for damage after severe storms in order to reduce any potential water damage. If you find torn or loose shingles on your roof, you will want to call a roofing contractor as soon as possible to repair the damage. If the damage is severe, you may want to cover it with a tarp until help can arrive to fix it. 

Trust the Winter Storm Damage Restoration Experts at SERVPRO of Indianapolis West

If you should suffer damage to your home from winter storms, you can trust the experts at SERVPRO of Indianapolis West to quickly clean up and repair the damage. The pros at SERVPRO of Indianapolis West have years of experience dealing with water damage, mold damage, fire damage and storm damage to homes and businesses around the Indianapolis area. They have the tools and know-how to handle any size disaster and are ready to respond quickly day or night. If your home should suffer damage from the harsh winter weather this season, give SERVPRO of Indianapolis West a call.