Every year, winter seems to arrive before anyone is truly ready to face it. The less prepared you are, however, the more difficult it will be to get through the cold conditions. Many facilities across industries wait until the last minute to get ready for winter weather, which winds up incurring various costs that could have otherwise been avoided. For starters, cold air, snow, and ice can damage structures and warrant costly repairs. Moreover, purchasing the proper supplies for winter prep becomes more and more challenging as the season inches closer, especially during this current supply chain crisis. Chilly temperatures and snow are already making their way across many regions in the U.S. -- are you prepared to protect your property and people from the worst winter has to offer? Here are some key preparations to make before the cold season takes over completely.

Preparations for Your Facility Before Winter

Clean Gutters and Roof Drains

If your gutters and roof drains are clogged up, you’ll have a hard time dealing with snow and ice throughout winter. Indeed, a particularly harsh winter can end up damaging your gutters, deteriorating your building’s siding, and weakening the integrity of your roof. In order to avoid these outcomes, the moisture from snow and ice must be consistently directed away from your building. Likewise, large accumulations of snow should be removed from your roof after a major storm. It’s crucial to hire a roof snow removal service for this task, as it poses a major safety hazard to those without experience.

Make Sure Your Facility Can Keep Snow at Bay

While your facility’s roof is the first surface on your property to collect snow after a winter storm, it’s certainly not the only one. You must also be ready to remove snow from your parking lot, driveways, walkways, etc. Allowing snow to linger on your property will lead to deterioration, visual obstruction, and safety hazards for vehicles and foot traffic. Of course, the only way to keep snow at bay is to maintain a proper supply of snow removal equipment, such as shovels, blowers, and plows -- you must also make sure this equipment is functional, which is why it’s important to service your winter equipment prior to the cold season. The waning days of autumn also offer the perfect opportunity to enter a contract with local winter snow removal services if you’re dealing with a large facility and can’t manage snow and ice all on your own.

Stock Up on Ice Melting Materials

Whether you take charge of your facility’s snow and ice management, outsource it, or a bit of both, it’s a good idea to have some ice melting product on hand. Seasoning your driveways, walkways, and lots with non-corrosive ice melt will facilitate snow removal by preventing significant accumulation, as well as limit the amount of moisture that gets tracked inside your building. Rock salt and other ice melting materials can also improve traction on your exterior surfaces, reducing the risk of slips, trips, and falls. The sooner you stock up on these products, the better, as the entire country (and world) continues to face supply shortages.

Winterize Your Windows and Doors

Old, inefficient windows and doors are major sources of energy loss for buildings of all kinds. And, if nothing else, no one wants the cold winter air to enter their facility. A drafty interior can turn customers away, decrease employee morale, impede productivity, and lead to equipment inefficiencies. If your windows and doors aren’t up to the task, then winterizing them before the cold season kicks into high gear is a key aspect of facility maintenance. Begin by inspecting these portals inside and out for cracks, gaps, and other breaches. Then, consider caulking around windows and doors, adding weather stripping in insulation, installing storm windows and doors, and so on. The more secure your windows and doors are during winter, the more comfortable your occupants will be, and the more you’ll save on your building’s energy bill.

Prepare Your Landscape for the Long Winter

Winter conditions will naturally take a toll on your property’s landscape. If you want your green spaces to bounce back come springtime, you need to prepare them before winter and tackle some maintenance during the season as well. Professional lawn care services can take care of mowing, aeration and fertilization, irrigation shutdowns, mulching, anti-desiccant application, debris removal, etc. to protect your landscape from winter’s wrath. These services can also help reduce the negative impacts of snow and ice on your lawn and restore your landscape once the warmer weather returns with tasks like soil testing, pruning, trimming, irrigation startup, plant health inspections, and much more. All of these efforts before, during, and after winter will allow your landscape to not only survive the winter but thrive once the season is over, beautifying your facility’s exterior.

Inspect and Optimize Climate Control Systems

Winter won’t be easy (or possible, perhaps) to get through if your facility’s heating system isn’t working as it should. It’s imperative to inspect all heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) components prior to winter so your building can retain optimal, comfortable conditions throughout the season. Ideally, you want a setup that keeps everyone warm enough inside your facility while also reducing inefficiencies and maximizing indoor air quality (IAQ) -- this will ensure the best health and safety outcomes for all occupants and protect your bottom line.

Don’t Wait to Make Necessary Winter Preparations

Like it or not, winter is on the way. There’s no telling what this year’s cold season has in store, but it’s best to prepare for the worst just in case. Getting a head start on inspections, maintenance, gathering supplies, finding local service providers, and winterization will allow you to put your best foot forward this winter -- fortunately The Budd Group can oversee all of this and more. To learn more about our services and values, give us a call today at 800-221-8158!