Winter Water Damage In St. Paul

Winter is knocking on the door. Time to get ready for a typical St. Paul winter of 32 inches of rain and 52 inches of snow (or more.) While outside may be a beautiful winter wonderland, the inside of your home or business can become a major disaster if rain or snow gets in enough to cause water damage. To spot water damage faster, pay close attention to those areas of your home and business that are more likely to be damaged by unwanted and intrusive water. 

Door Ways

Observe all of the doors and thresholds during a heavy rain or snow storm. Pooling water will quickly degrade the bottom of the door, which can lead to mildew, mold and rot. Maintain the insulated weather stripping by replacing it if it is torn or brittle. If the wooden door frame suffers damage, it can rot and weaken. This makes the entrance less secure, exposing your property to more damage. If there are 3 or 4 screws along the surface of your threshold, you may be able the threshold itself  up to the weatherstripping on your door to help solve the problem. 

Invest in two high quality door mats – an impetitruble one for outside that collects as much grime as possible, and an absorbent one inside to protect the floor. Keep them clean so that they can keep the entire property cleaner and at less risk of being damaged by anything from the outside.

Windows

Window leaks can happen for a number of reasons, but generally the leaks are caused by poor installation or cracked window panes. If your windows are leaking, you have a significant problem and need to address it immediately. Depending on the state of the windows and panes, you may need to fully replace them before you can contact a water damage cleanup specialist.

Condensation is water that forms when warm, moist air hits a cooler surface. In St. Paul, we run the heaters non stop for months. Interior window condensation forms on the coldest surface in a room which is often the glass in a window. The resulting accumulation can degrade the surrounding porous surfaces. If you see signs of water damage on the walls, sills, or frames of windows, call ICC Restoration And Cleaning Services to assess and cleanup the water damage immediately. 

MudRooms

No matter where your mudroom is, watch out for common areas of water damage.

Uninsulated (or under insulated) mudrooms with plumbing must be protected from freezing temperatures and broken pipes Wherever laundry facilities are located, there is a high possibility of leakage and spillage from the washing machine. Check the connections often.

When your mudroom is in the basement, look out for any excess water: from the walls, up from the drain, backed up from the sump pump. If you feed the pets in the mudroom, used rubber backed mats for the water dishes. Don’t allow water to splash and puddle in the same place; overtime this will damage the floor.

If you keep cleaning tools here, be sure that steam cleaners, mop buckets and cleaning rags are dry before you store them. For example, don’t clean up the snow and then lean a wet sponge mop against the drywall. Make sure bins and storage containers are well ventilated so that wet clothing (snow boots, gloves and hats) can dry quickly.

Winter Water Damage Cleanup In St. Paul 

With ICC Restoration, you can be sure that the team will find, correct and restore any signs of winter water damage. Years of experience drying hardwood floors, plaster walls, tile and concrete ensure your items will be well cared for. State-of-the-art drying procedures help minimize potential health hazards that can be caused by water damage. Expert contents restoration may include removal, drying and storage of your contents at a secure climate-controlled storage facility, as required.