Five Tips for Caring for Your Foundation in Winter
When it is cold and snowy, there are still tasks to undertake to keep your home’s foundation in good shape. So get your boots on and bundle up.
- Clear snow and ice from the sides of your home. Don’t allow snow and ice to accumulate and block access to the house. Especially if when it melts, it could pool and hold water against the foundation. This is particularly true if you live in an area that may get multiple storms that extend the amount of snow and ice next to your home during the length of the winter.
- Keep gutters clear. Any debris may help hold frozen rain or snow in the gutters even after melting. If the downspouts have frozen across, that could block water from running through. In some cases, you may need to pour hot water through the downspout to clear it.
- Keep soil banked up against the wall, but no closer than 6 inches from the bottom of the siding. When the ground isn’t frozen set the slope at 1” of drop for every foot it extends outward for about 8 to 10 feet. Don’t let any depressions that could fill with ice or snow form next to the house.
- Insulate pipes and any external faucets. The past few years have presented near or below zero temps in a broad swath of the Midwest. Assume that these frigid nights will be with us often.
- Inspect periodically. Walk around the perimeter of your house or any rental properties you own. Look for cracks, accumulations of ice & snow, and anything that looks like things may have changed recently. Take pictures you can compare to another time. Don’t rely only on your memory.
None of these steps are time-consuming or onerous. But they could prevent small issues from becoming big and expensive problems. And if you should find that a new crack has appeared or started to leak, call SEALED at 816.308.2881. We do not charge for inspections.
