Don’t Let Up on Winter Maintenance

Although you may be tired of winter, now is not the time to let up on cold weather maintenance tasks. As February is historically a snowy month in many parts of the country, facility managers need to keep up with seasonal tasks or risk damage to their buildings.

PuroClean offers the following facility maintenance tips to help mitigate the effects of severe winter weather such as impending snowstorms and dropping temperatures:

• Drain your sprinkler system. Irrigation pipes are prone to freezing in cold temperatures, so draining the system prevents pipes from rupturing.
• To prevent structural damage to your roof, remove snow when it reaches a depth of 6 inches. Remember that snow and ice are heavy and can often place excess pressure on the roof structure. Make sure to dispose of snow away from walkways, building exits, and drain downspouts.
• Protect your pipes by allowing a faucet to drip slightly. Moving water (even a drip) will help prevent pipes from freezing.
• Inspect your heating system and heating appliances. Have HVAC units serviced to ensure heaters are functioning properly.
• Clean gutters and downspouts, making sure they are free of any blockage that can obstruct the drainage of water accumulating from melted snow and/or rain. In addition to checking gutters, make sure the downspouts drain away from the foundation of your building.
• Maintain a winter weather checklist to proactively maintain upkeep throughout the season and beyond.