Home inspector warns about freeze-thaw hazards

While we're stuck indoors waiting for the snow to melt, our homes are vulnerable to the ever-changing weather. Prevention is the No. 1 goal to avoid costly home repairs. To advise homeowners on what they need to do as the temperature rises and snow begins to melt, we turned to home inspector Darrell Hay, our Ask the Expert columnist.

Give the water a path to get away

"When the snow starts to melt and it's raining on top of that, we'll have water seeping in everywhere," Hay said. "Keep all drains clear of ice and snow, including those at the bottom of driveways, in courtyards, walkways."

Pull snow away from your home's siding

"Snow has now accumulated in most places above the concrete foundation and is resting across the wood. This snow needs to be pulled back away from the house, including wooden decks. When it melts, it will seep into the building, flooding crawl spaces and basements as it thaws," Hay said.

Beware of ice dams on eaves

"Ice-damming is a phenomenon we don't get very often here but is very common in colder and snowier parts of the country," Hay said. It is best explained as ice jamming the flow of melting water, causing it to back up and seep indoors. "The areas of the house that become heated [such as attic roofs] will melt first and drain toward unheated areas. The cold air and ice in the unheated area [such as the eaves and gutters] is still intact, preventing the water from passing. When it becomes 'dammed,' it backs up to the roof and under the shingles, causing a leak. The freezing and thawing can also create the ice-damming effect."

Hay cautions that homeowners should take extreme caution climbing on ladders to alleviate the problem: "Putting your ladder on ice, leaning on ice and stepping on icy roofs is extremely hazardous. If you can access the gutters from inside the house [from an upper window, for example] by using a long-handled broom, you bring up the ice and move it along. Otherwise, you'll need to call a roofer."

Watch your pipes ...

"As we start to thaw, the leaks will show up in the pipes that are frozen and broken," Hay said. "Crawl spaces are particularly vulnerable. Put your ear close and check the crawl space for hissing and running water." Basements, even unheated, tend to have some warmth protection.

Know where your water shut-off is located. "The best place to stop the flow is at the in-house shut-off," Hay said. "However, many older homes in our area do not have this in-house shut-off unless they've been replumbed. Shut off the water and call a licensed plumber."

... and your roof

"The riskiest roof structures are tents, flat roofs, garages with older structures, and manufactured homes," Hay said. "The chance of a structural collapse is less with a pitched roof. If we get freezing rain and more snow, it can become very heavy and put marginal buildings and flat-roofed structures at risk. In general, the higher the pitch of the roof, the less the risk."

But even pitched roofs can be vulnerable.

"When you have melting snow on rooftops, it can get into the home through unexpected areas. These include roof vents and skylights. Decks should also be cleared of heavy snow," Hay added.