How to Prep Your Home for Winter
If you are concerned that your home is not prepared for the winter in Pittsburgh, it’s time to take measures to ensure your home is protected for the season. At Pittsburgh Drain Guys, your number one choice for waterproofing in Pittsburgh, we’ve put together a few tips on how you can get your home ready to face the winter season.
Prevent Basement Flooding
Check to make sure that your discharge pipe doesn’t end right outside of your foundation wall. If it ends this close to the foundation, it can seep back into your basement or crawl space, especially in below-freezing temperatures. It is recommended that the discharge pipe extend at least 10 feet from your foundation to ensure the water exits away from your home, instead of flooding your basement.
Prepare for a Power Outage
If you use a sump pump to handle your basement water issues, you should make sure that your home is protected from flooding in all situations, including power outages. If you plan to go away on vacation or just to run some errands, you should utilize a backup battery system for your sump pump to ensure that your basement is safe from flooding in the event of a mechanical pump failure, power outage or a large amount of groundwater.
Winterize Your Crawlspace
Freezing winter air flows into your home’s below-grade space and then travel upwards and into the remainder of the home. This can cause a spike in your energy bills, so it is crucial to ensure your crawlspace is properly closed off from the outside.
You can do this by having vent covers and insulation installed. It would help if you also had the space sealed with a durable vapor barrier. This will help provide you with improved air quality, lower energy bills, warmer flooring above the crawl space, and better-insulated pipes in the crawl space to prevent freezing and bursting.
Inspect Your Foundation
Be sure to walk around your home outside and inside along the foundation to inspect for cracking or bowing in the foundation wall. If these issues currently exist, freezing water can make them worse. When the temperature drops, groundwater can freeze and expand, putting pressure on your home’s foundation.
After a heavy snowfall, the snow will melt, which can lead to the melted snow near your home, adding pressure to the exterior foundation wall. This can cause basement flooding. If your basement is unheated, frost can also put additional pressure on the foundation wall and cause it to fail.
Clear out Your Gutters
Leaves, sticks, and other debris can cause ice dams and blockage that can lead to flooding. Be sure to clear out all debris from your gutters and replace any worn or broken parts on your gutters and downspouts.
Keep Your Pipes from Freezing
If your pipes freeze, the ice will build up pressure that can lead to the pipes bursting. It is important to add insulation to any of your exposed pipes throughout the house. Also, be sure to drain your garden hoses to prevent damage.
Prepare Your Home for Winter with Pittsburgh Drain Guys
At Pittsburgh Drain Guys, we provide a wide range of services, such as French drain s, to our Pittsburgh customers that can help prepare your home for winter. Don’t skip out on winterization, protect your home today by contacting Pittsburgh Drain Guys!
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