Winter can be hard enough without having to worry about the wrath of the season on your commercial property. Neglecting to properly winterize could result in a major headache, so here are the seven dos and don’ts of winterizing your property.
The most difficult time to oversee a commercial property is during the winter, especially if you’re in a region that gets hit particularly hard with the winter chills. It’s easy to feel like you’ve lost control over your space if you don’t sufficiently winterize it, because issue after issue will continue to come up all season long. No one wants to deal with this struggle, so read our seven dos and don’ts of winterizing your commercial property:
Do Make Sure Exterior Pipes are Sufficiently Insulated
Out of sight out of mind, right? Wrong! It’s easy to forget about pipes that lie outside your building, but these are the ones that pose the most risk of freezing during the long winter months. Complete a full audit of all outdoor piping and utilities and make sure everything is insulated up to standard. It’s not that expensive to make sure your pipes are wrapped properly, but the costs of a pipe freeze or burst certainly will be!
Do Caulk Pipes at Points of Entry
Wherever you have pipes entering the building, they need to be caulked; this goes along with insulation, so we recommend completing both at once. Pipes arguably pose the largest risk to your facility during the winter, so make sure you don’t cut any corners when winterizing them.
Don’t Shut Off Utilities in Empty Units
This one may seem a little counter-intuitive to your budget, but believe us, the risk isn’t worth the savings. You may want to shut off all heating and utilities to unoccupied units, but this begs for remaining fluids to freeze in pipes and cause a burst. Heating should always be left on, simply at a lower level, and you may even need to run water on a daily basis as well. On that note…
Do Leave the Tap on If It Gets Cold Enough or You Determine Sufficient Risk
As a smart business owner, you hate waste, but in this instance, it’s worth it. If water is being used infrequently enough where there’s a risk of it freezing in the pipes, simply leave it on a low trickle. Again, this is a surefire instance where the wasted utility cost is vastly worth it over the potential expenses. A low drip won’t break the bank, but freezing water will break the pipes, so play it safe.
Do Make Sure All Windows and Doors Are Draft Free
Some people call drafts and holes in sealing “energy vampires” because they quietly suck out all the heat you’re paying to put in and let in all the cold you’re working to keep out. Don’t let the drafts get you down, check the sealing on all portals to make sure your utility bill isn’t any higher than it needs to be.
Don’t Get Lazy with Your Maintenance
So, you went through your entire facility and everything is up to par- you’re all done now, right? Wrong! All winter long you’re going to have to perform routine checks and maintenance to make sure everything that’s ready for winter stays that way. This means checking pipes, checking entryways, replacing filters, lubricating equipment, etc. It would be a shame to put all that effort into winterizing your property, to just let it deteriorate over the course of the season. Keep tabs on your entire facility and you’ll come out of this winter a victor!
Is all of this too much? Fear not; re:fab is here to come to the rescue for your property!
