The temperature is dropping. Winter is rolling in right on time. While you’re taking stock of your winter clothing, consider turning your attention in another direction. Your commercial property also needs protection because it will experience the worst of it all. Here are some tips for maintaining your commercial property in the winter.
Check the Heat
Whether the property is vacant, the heat needs to be on. Leaving it off during these cold months will lead to bigger problems in the future. Frozen pipes will break, and no one wants to deal with that.
Broken pipes mean leaks and severe water damage. Turning off the heat may conserve energy, but it does not save you money in the long run because having broken pipes means paying for extensive and expensive repairs. Additionally, you’ll need to pay for the water damage they caused.
Inspect the Roof
Snow is not kind to roofs, especially when very little maintenance occurs during the winter. Property owners more often concern themselves with snow and ice removal from the sidewalk and surrounding area to ensure they’re safe for people to traverse. Still, you can’t ignore the roof.
Excessive snowfall can cause the roof to collapse. Conduct an inspection and ensure the inspector cover all areas. They need to look for loose or missing shingles, missing caulk, rusted flashing, clogged gutters, rot in the fascia board, and chimney cracks. Immediately address any issues the inspector reports with the proper procedures to eradicate the problems.
Manage Snow and Ice
Ice and snow are deadly and can cause a lawsuit if not removed properly. After a night or day of snowfall, remove it from your property. Clear all walkways to make them visible to patrons.
Even if the property is vacant, you don’t want the snow and ice to build up. Use salt to de-ice your property to prevent issues. You’ll also need to maintain the parking lot stripes so there isn’t severe damage to the lot when everything melts.
Prepare for Outages
Your building could experience some power outages if temperatures get too low. Depending on the size of your property, the outage could be expensive. Invest in a backup generator to ensure your building maintains power.
The generator might seem expensive now but think about all the time and money you save not having to pay for renewed power during an outage. Plus, you don’t need to worry about lost revenue because there’s no power. The generator will keep everyone on site comfortable and prevent food from spoiling.
Maintaining your commercial property in the winter is essential to ensure the remainder of your year goes smoothly and avoid any expensive restructuring.