Preparing Your House for Water Issues From Snowmelt

Spring is officially here. Protect yourself from future snowmelt issues by checking these six things to keep your house safe.

Spring is finally here in Alaska and it came with the melting of the snow. Today I will be talking about how to better prepare your house for the water issues that come with typical snowmelt to avoid future issues.

1. Check crawl spaces. All the water from the melted snow has to go somewhere. Make sure you check your crawl spaces about once a week until the snow is completely melted.

2. Check sump pump. Crawl to your sump pump to make sure sand and other grit isn’t blocking the floats. If there is, it could jam the mechanism preventing it from moving the water away. By the time you realize that it is, you will have water backed up into your crawl space and an even bigger mess to deal with.

3. Double check your GFCI. Check your Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter, GFCI, to ensure it hasn’t been tripped. If it has been turned off, get it turned back on as soon as possible to avoid water backup.

4. Check and change your air filters. Running heaters all winter long could have ruined your current air filter. Now is a great time to put in a new air filter.

5. Check your batteries. Make sure your batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors are properly charged.

Bad shingles can cause leaks to form and can wreak havoc come next winter.

6. Check your roof. After snow melts, check your roof for any bad shingles. Bad shingles can cause leaks to form and can wreak havoc come next winter. It may seem early to worry about next winter, but it can easily cost you twice as much to have your roof fixed in the middle of the winter as opposed to now.

If you have any questions about how to check any of these areas, please give us a call at (907) 240-2408 or email us at [email protected]. We would be glad to help you.