Home Inspection Articles

As much of North America feels the extreme cold temperatures brought on by the polar vortex, and southern Ontario is still recovering from the worst ice storm to hit in recent decades, we felt it pertinent to discuss some of the less sensational damage this weather can cause to homes, like moisture intrusion. When the ice storm broke a few weeks ago, we addressed the issue of frozen pipes and how to avoid them. We also provided a guide to facing prolonged power outages in freezing temperatures. These articles were in direct response to December’s storm, and although it was a disaster, and did require homeowner action, it was an anomaly. Winter weather brings more common issues, and it’s important that homeowners prepare for these items as well.

Subzero temperatures can often translate to wet basements. Many believe that Spring, with its frequent downpours, is when they should be concerned about moisture intrusion in their home – and they are right. However, this isn’t the only time to think about this issue. Water damage requires year-round attention.

One of the major factors in keeping your home dry is maintaining your external water management systems: your gutters, downspouts, and window wells. When properly installed, these items are meant to direct water away from the home. However, as snow and ice accumulate, they clog these areas, trapping debris such as twigs, leaves, and litter in them ultimately making them less effective. To combat this issue homeowners must ensure:

• Gutters are clear of debris.
• Downspouts extend far enough away from the home - at least six feet from your foundation.
• The bottom of your window well contains several inches of gravel to allow water to drain from the well.
• A drainage pipe, filled with gravel (to prevent it from collapsing, but still allowing water to pass), should extend down the drainage tile around the perimeter of the footing (if one exists) of your window well. If your window well does not have this, a clear plastic dome should be installed over the window well to keep water and debris out. You may have to dig down through some gravel to see this drainage pipe.

The importance of this list is compounded this year by the ice storm and the increased volume of debris that was created when many trees froze and had their branches break off. As such, your home may require more attention than previous winters. Although the frigid temperatures of late may have you curling up with a hot cup of tea and a good book instead of heading outdoors, removing the debris from your yard should take priority – but do make sure to bundle up (pun intended).

Over the course of the next few days the temperature is set to increase dramatically (from -22C on Monday to +4C on Saturday), and meteorologists are calling for rain. This means the snow and ice clogging your gutters, downspouts, and window wells is going to melt. This snow-melt, combined with the rain, can seep into your basement if it is not properly directed away from your home, so now is the time to take action. Being mindful of the above-mentioned areas should help to reduce the potential for water damage in your home.

Do you have a Home Inspection issue or concern that you haven’t seen addressed here? Comment below or find us on Twitter or Facebook and let us know. We’ll do our best to help out.

Although power has been restored to almost every home in the Greater Toronto Area the effects of the December 21st ice storm still weigh heavily on the minds of many. The extreme weather left 350,000 households in the dark for somewhere between one and ten days, depending on their location – this meant that unfortunately, many were without power during Christmas.

While several individuals have tried to put a silver lining on this cloud saying the outage allowed their families to bond without distractions, for their communities to strengthen in the face of adversity, and that it helped them to gain a new appreciation for their neighbours; more than anything last week’s storm was, simply put, a disaster.

Despite admirable efforts from Toronto Hydro and their respective counterparts, the situation faced by most of Southern Ontario for the last week has been a dire one. As many suffered feelings of uncertainty and frustration amidst chattering teeth, we would encourage homeowners to see this storm as a wakeup call. Are you prepared for power outages in freezing temperatures? With what we’ve seen in the last week, the answer for most is no. While this ice storm was an anomaly, it’s still important to take a page from the scout’s handbook and make sure you’re prepared. Please enjoy our winter outage tips below.

Freezing Pipes

As long as the home is above freezing, pipes should continue to operate smoothly. If the house temperature drops below freezing, issues will develop. In these instances we advise running a bit of water at every tap. This keeps the pipes from freezing since city water is roughly 10° C (50° F). Remember also that traps below every fixture and floor drain are also at risk of freezing, so please think critically and act cautiously if you experience an outage for multiple days in extremely cold weather.

For the most part it doesn’t make sense to shut off the water altogether and drain the pipes, unless the house is below freezing for an extended period of time or if the home is vacant. Proper winterization is difficult for most homeowners to achieve, as it calls for adding antifreeze or blowing out all the traps below fixtures and floor drains, as well as protecting toilet bowls, dishwasher drains and any other place where water collects.

If the situation is long term, shutting off water and draining pipes may prevent flooding damage if pipes burst. There may be localized damage to areas where water was not drained or protected with antifreeze, but in severe conditions that may be the best you can hope for. If your home runs on a hot water boiler and radiators, turning it off will probably leave water in low spots. Again, expect local damage.

Adding Heat

Focus on heating just one room, preferably one with little or no exterior wall surface. You will not be able to heat the whole house. Insulate the doors and windows of the room you’re heating as much as possible.

Operating gas or wood burning fireplaces will add heat. Gas fireplaces are typically more efficient than wood fireplaces. Wood stoves are much more efficient than open fireplaces.

Candles used for light or heat, create the risks of both starting a fire and inhaling toxic gases such as carbon monoxide. Have a battery powered smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector on hand if possible.

Do NOT bring your BBQ inside and run it. Do NOT try to use your gas stove for heat. If you have a gas or propane generator, run it outdoors; NEVER indoors. The carbon monoxide gas from these devices may kill you.

Electricity From Vehicles

Power inverters can provide 120 volt power for charging phones, tablets, etc. from your car. Some vehicles have 120 volt receptacles you can plug into directly. You can also purchase inverters that plug into cigarette lighters and convert the DC power in your vehicle to AC power for household plugs.

The amount of power available depends on the inverter and is typically quite limited. For example, don’t try to run electric heaters from your car. The electricity you use will drain the battery unless the vehicle engine is running. If you do decide to use your car to power some of your smaller electronics, start your car regularly so you don’t run the battery down. Some inverters have a low battery warning – if yours does, make use of it, as it could save you a major headache.

Make sure to check out our articles on Avoiding Frozen Pipes and Furnace Maintenance for additional winter weather tips for your home.

We would like to thank the Hydro employees who worked around the clock and gave up their holidays to bring light to ours. The compassion shown by so many reminds us all of how fortunate we are to live in this community.

For more information on emergency preparation and what to do during a power outage, please visit www.getprepared.gc.ca.

Record low temperatures have been sweeping across Canada and beyond – Egypt received its first snowfall in over a century! With winter weather warnings aplenty and serious snow accumulation, it’s fair to say most folks are feeling frozen. On these -16˚degrees days, it’s definitely function over fashion as you decide what to wear in the morning. Thick socks, thermal underwear, and your warmest winter accessories are a requirement for heading outdoors. Appropriate attire will help to protect you from frostbite, windburn, and hypothermia.

This weekend we saw an ice storm fall on one of the busiest travel and shopping weekends of the year. In Toronto alone, over 200,000 customers were still without power as of 8:00 a.m. this morning. As cleanup crews work around the clock to restore power to hundreds of thousands of customers in the Greater Toronto Area, the city is bracing for another deep freeze. Weather specialists are predicting that temperatures will drop to -11 overnight, and with the cold comes a reminder that this time of year can bring major issues to your home in the way of freezing and leaking pipes.

                                     
Winter weather causes wear and tear on your home and its systems. One of the more affected areas, or at least the more noticeably affected areas, can be your pipes. When pipes freeze more often than not they split, which results in leakage. Leaking supply piping can be very dramatic. Because the piping is pressurized, a leak can do a lot of damage quickly. If there is no functional floor drain, a leaking supply pipe can flood a house.

There is a risk of freezing and leakage if pipes are installed in unheated areas, even if the pipe is insulated. This includes:

• Cold rooms
• Crawlspaces
• Garages
• Attics
• Any other unheated space

Check to see if tub and shower fixtures are installed against exterior walls; there may be pipes inside which could freeze. In cold climates, it is good practice to have pipes installed through the floor away from the exterior wall for all fixtures. Pay special attention to this with do-it-yourself renovation work – sometimes what seems like the most convenient place to run piping can come back to bite you, or rather, leak on you. If there are pipes running through unheated spaces, electric heating cables can be installed to prevent a problem.

Looking for more renovation advice and maintenance tips? Our Home Reference Book is a great source. Free with every Carson Dunlop Home Buyer’s Inspection it’s a valuable addition to every homeowner’s library.