Protect Your Property From Winter Water Damage

How to protect your property from frozen temperatures in winter.

This time of year, with the winter temperatures we are experiencing across much of the country, it is so important to protect your home or property from such elements as ice, snow, and wind.

How to Manage a Burst Pipe Until Restoration Specialists Arrive

If you experience a water damage event from a frozen/burst pipe, make sure you call a trusted disaster restoration specialist to provide emergency services.  Until they arrive, do the following:

  • Check the electrical box.  Can you turn it off?  Is the water over the electrical sockets on the floor or walls?  If so, do not touch!
  • Identify the source of water: sanitary water (i.e. broken pipe) / contaminated water (i.e. washing machine overflow) / grossly contaminated water (i.e. sewage damage).
  • Stop the source of the water and secure the evidence (i.e. broken pipe, valve, etc).
  • Cover and close ALL open chemicals, cleaners, paints, or containers with liquids.
  • Take photos of each affected area (especially damaged contents like computers or electronics) for the insurance company.
  • Use a shop vac to start extracting water (if water is isolated to a small area).
  • Be extremely careful for slippery floor conditions.

How to Protect Your Home from Winter Water Loss

Now, here are some important tips to follow to protect your home from a winter water loss:

  • Eliminate drafts by closing off crawl spaces, vents and doors, especially under mobile homes. Repair broken or cracked windows, and check insulation and caulking around doors and windows.
  • Shut off the water supply and drain outside sprinkler systems and hose bibs. Detach hoses.
  • Insulate pipes in unheated parts of the home, such as the garage. Pipes close to exterior walls or in unheated basements can be wrapped with pieces of insulation or heating tape.
  • Remove leaves and debris from gutters so melting snow and ice can flow freely and prevent “ice damming” – a condition where water is unable to properly drain through the gutters and instead seeps into the house causing water to drip from the ceiling and walls.
  • Check the roof and make any repairs that are needed.

Still not sure what to do?  Contact us HERE and we can help!

 

About BluSky Restoration Contractors, LLC
Denver, Colorado-based BluSky Restoration Contractors, LLC is a full-service national restoration, renovation, environmental and roofing provider for properties damaged by water, fire, storms and other disasters across the nation. For more information about BluSky Restoration Contractors, please visit GoBluSky.com or call (800) 266-5677.


Candace Johnson

Corporate Marketing Manager

Candace is a veteran marketer, who specializes in bringing out the best in companies. Responsibilities for BluSky include content creation and editing, brand management and consistency, website management, public relations writing, advertising, and social media management. Candace lives just south of Chicago with her husband Eric and three children.

Candace Johnson

Corporate Marketing Manager
Candace Johnson headshot