It’s no secret that the winter months are hard on houses and things like drainage. No matter if you live in a region of the US that gets intense winter weather or you simply have a few cold weeks to deal with each year, you still need to know how to prepare your trench drains for the winter months. Being prepared can help you avoid issues with your drainage that might cost you thousands of dollars in repairs.
Preparing your trench drains for inclement weather is not as hard as you might think. These simple steps will help you to make sure that your drainage is ready for challenging weather so that you can enjoy peace of mind about the well-being of your drainage across your entire property.
Preparing Trench Drains For Winter
1. Clean Your Drains
The first thing on your to-do list should be cleaning your drains before the cold weather arrives. Clean drains will be much less likely to be damaged due to iced and flooding. You will also be prepared for when the weather warms back up because debris in your drains combined with things like ice or mud can lead to major issues with flooding as the weather warms back up.
Cleaning your drains is a part of routine maintenance and you need to be sure that you are planning this necessary process on a regular basis. You will thank yourself during the first cold snap when your drains are in no danger of clogging or breaking down due to challenging weather conditions.
2. Make Sure That You Remove Hoses
One of the main reasons that people deal with flooding around drains each year is due to forgotten hoses. Hoses can freeze and then damage drainage that is connected to the hose and they can also cause issues with water leaking that might clog up drains when the weather gets really cold. Disconnecting hoses and covering hose bibs with a protective cover can prevent major issues with water management on your property during each winter.
3. Insulate Components
You will want to be sure that none of your drainage pipes are exposed to the cold because they might crack or break when the weather gets tough. Drainage that surrounds your foundation might get some protection from the cold due to heat from your home, but no exposed drainage point is safe from freezing without the proper insulation in place.
You will want to be sure that you talk about this potential issue with your drainage installer if you have concerns. It can be hard to add insulation after the fact in some areas of your property. PVC will be the most susceptible to freezing if it is not properly protected from the heat and the cold each year.
In some locations, PVC is not an acceptable choice for outdoor drainage components for this reason. Be sure that you are aware of this possible problem if you are installing your own drainage and have planned to use PVC for a large portion of your drainage system.
4. Inspect for Damage
While they are durable, trench drains can still become damaged throughout the year due to clogs, things that have fallen into the drains, and issues with heavy vehicles passing over your drainage. Inspecting your drains periodically throughout the year is a good idea to ensure that you can count on your drains if there are heavy rains, snow, ice, or other challenging weather systems coming your way.
Your inspection can also accompany a thorough cleaning so that you can take care of the number one tip on our list at the same time. Being able to check for issues when you are cleaning is easy, and you should consider doing both of these processes at least twice a year.
5. Flush Drains
Some of your drainage lines will not be easy to inspect with the naked eye. You can flush these drain areas to be sure that they are not collecting debris and other items that could lead to damage and flooding during the winter months. If you do not feel comfortable handling this part of the winterizing process for your drainage, a team of experts can come and inspect your drains with cameras and then flush them out once they have confirmed that there is nothing wrong with them.
Catching problems at choke points in your drainage system early is always important, and flushing your drains can help you find these issues and deal with them easily and promptly each season.
6. Replace Grates
Drainage gratings can become brittle over the years, and they can also break or become lost. You should never head into winter with broken drainage gratings due to safety concerns aorthe protection of the trench drain under the gratings. Be sure that you check on the quality of all of the covers for your trench drains and consider upgrading if you are running into consistent issues with the health of these components of your drainage system.
Trench drain covers and grates can be made from many different materials, and they can be designed to your specifications. Whether you are looking for ADA-compliant drains or you want to switch to a maximum flow design, you can add these features before the winter weather hits to protect your trench drains while the weather is tough.
Caring For Your Drains Before Winter is Key
You should always be sure to check out all of the parts and components of your trench drains and be aware of possible areas where debris and other items might be collected. Consider replacing components that are in poor condition and insulating areas that are made from PVC. Protecting your drainage from being damaged in the winter is easy if you are providing your drainage with inspections at least a couple of times a year.
If you do not feel comfortable taking care of the process of checking on the health of your drains, you should make sure that you reach out to a team of experts to have them handle this important aspect of your drainage care and upkeep each season.
