Steps To Protect Your Property From Winter In Indianapolis

11/11/2020 (Permalink)

"An ounce on prevention is worth a pound of cure." -Benjamin Franklin

It's November here in Indianapolis, and that means falling leaves and temperatures. Harsh winters in Central Indiana can be damaging to your home or business. Snow, rain, and freezing temperatures can cause unwanted stress in many different areas around your property. As we move towards winter, here are some tips to help you protect your property.

Protect Your Pipes

Unheated interior spaces like your garage, attic, or basement are most at risk for frozen pipes. Use pipe insulation liberally on any of your exposed pipes in the vulnerable areas of your house. Other ways to protect your pipes from freezing are to keep your garage closed as much as possible, and even when you aren't home, and don't let the temperature of your house fall under 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

Check for Leaks and Water in Your Basement or Crawl Space

Indiana winters tend to be very wet, keeping the ground around your home saturated. With so much water and moisture outside, it's essential to check your crawl space and basement for water leaks and high humidity. You want to seal any cracks or leaks and possibly use a dehumidifier to remove the excess moisture out of the air. If the humidity is too high, it can lead to mold growth in your crawl space and basement. You also want to test your sump pump to make sure it is working correctly.

Clean Out Your Gutters

Clearing out your gutters and downspouts should usually be done a few times a year, depending on how many trees you have. But emptying them before the freezing temperatures set in is an essential step to winterizing your home. If your gutters seem to fill up quickly, try installing leaf guards to keep them from clogging.

Regular cleaning is crucial to maintaining good gutters. A gutter clogged with leaves, sticks, and other debris can cause a leaky roof or water damage to the interior or exterior of your home. Dirty and full gutters also provide nice homes for pests, rodents, and fertile ground for weeds to grow.

Check Seals Around Windows and Doors

Once you're done cleaning out the gutters, you'll want to walk around the house and check all of your windows and doors for broken seals, cracks, or other areas where the cold air and water can get into your home.

An essential goal of winterizing your home is to keep your heating bills down and make sure your home is blocking out the cold air effectively. A great way to do this is to add weather stripping to your doors and caulk any window gaps. To prevent a draft from sneaking in, make sure all your windows stay locked. It may be time to replace your windows if your sashes aren't meeting, and your inner lock isn't working.

Check Your Foundation

You also want to check around your foundation for standing water and cracks in the foundation. Cracks in the foundation can worsen in the winter as water seeps into the cracks and freezes, causing expansion and further damage to your foundation. If you find cracks, you will want to seal them before they get worse. If you see standing water, you may want to make sure your gutters are directing the water away from your home and grading the ground to slope away from your home's foundation.

Call SERVPRO of Indianapolis West

Being a proactive homeowner, you may take these and other steps to protect your investment and still experience damage. Our office has years of experience with water and fire damage clean up and restoration and always ready to help you and your family. If you need water cleanup and restoration this winter, click here or call us at 317-243-3149.