Today I was reminded as to the damage that heavy snow piling up can cause to your home, so hopefully these few tips can help you to minimize problems.

  • The gutters above a window may be frozen solid and the heat from inside of the house is getting the snow to begin to melt. This may cause water to come in through a crack in the window frame and cause damage. Here are a few tips to avoid further damage without taking a blowdryer to your gutters:

Supplies you’ll need: a few black 30 gallon trash bags, a roll of duct tape, pots, tupperware, or bowls, and a towel.

Open the trash bag, and duct tape it across the area where the water is dripping. Place a bowl on the ground and direct the base of the trash bag into it (making a funnel). For a larger window, you may need multiple bags and bowls.

  • A client of mine had their entire gutter system fall off their house due to the weight of the ice. Not that it could have been prevented, but they need to be aware of the possibility of water going into their basement so they need to keep an eye on things with towels, buckets, etc on hand, ready to go.
  • If you have a flat roof (which we do over a portion of our house), you may want to shovel if you can get to it. We were so glad to have done it, for fear of the weight of almost five feet of snow and its compacting as it melts caving the roof in.
  • We also had BGE out today because our power lines were being held up/down by a small tree. First of all, all of their people were very nice and wonderful. Second, they did a great job. So make sure to check out the lines coming into your house so you don’t lose power. Luckily the tree hadn’t pulled the wires away from the house. We must call BGE to come back in the spring and get the lines restrung, because the lineman said they are hanging too low to the ground.
  • Finally, check those icicles. We had ones that reached from our gutters all the way down to the snow piles. They were very thick as well. The weight very well could have broken the gutters or fallen through a bay window, so we knocked them down. So LOOK UP and be careful as you are entering and exiting buildings.

This is such an unusual amount of snow and the ice build-up is immense. Please be careful when you are out, and be very cautious and conscious with your homes.

Now let’s cross our fingers that we don’t get the heavy snow predicted for Monday in Towson and Baltimore…

Please note that these ideas and opinions are just that — ideas and opinions. I am sure there are better ways to handle some of these issues, but I was working with household items while being snowed in and unable to get out or help to get in. Some are short term solutions. Also, safety first in all cases! Be careful!