Winter Maintenance Tips for Your Facility

1. Check and clean your roof, roof drains, gutters and downspouts as needed. Leaves and other debris may collect on your roof during the autumn season. The accumulation of leaves and other debris can easily cause blockages to occur in the roof drainage system.

2. Use proper deicers on your concrete sidewalks and drives. Some products can damage concrete surfaces. This damage will show up later as spalling (flaking) on the top layer of concrete. Be particularly cautious with concrete that is less than one year old.

3. Perform a general review of your roof. Check gutters and roof drains to ensure they are clean and draining properly. Make sure snow/ice buildup hasn’t damaged flashing; loose flashing needs to be addressed immediately in preparation for springtime storms/wind.

4. Winds can cause drifting of snow. These drifts are not much of a problem on the side of the road, but your facility’s roof is another matter. Keep an eye on your roof to make sure snow or ice doesn’t cover and clog drains. If your facility has gutters and downspouts, make sure they are free to drain and not clogged with snow. Watch for deflections in your roof system and contact a structural engineer if unusual deflection occurs during heavy snow loads.

5. If people will be working on your roof, be sure that skylight locations are clearly visible. Snow covered skylights are a potential fall hazard. It’s a great idea to flag skylight locations if a large amount of snow is expected.

6. Check your gutter laps. If these laps leak, dangerous icicles will form overhead.

7. Unhook all water hoses from outside hydrants. Even a frost proof hydrant will freeze if a hose full of water is left attached.

8. Drain landscape irrigation systems to prevent freeze up.

9. If you have a dry pipe fire protection system under a canopy or other areas exposed to cold temperatures, remember to drain the condensation from the system to prevent freezing.

10. Last, but certainly not least, always perform a general inspection of the HVAC system – most importantly, filter changes.

If you have any questions about additional fall or winter maintenance tips, Gray would be happy to help. Please contact Steve Higgins, Leader, Service Team, at 859-281-9354 or shiggins@gray.com.