As the winter season approaches, there is a lot of fun to be had. Holidays, snow days, hot cocoa, and sitting by the fire. However, with winter comes the cold and with the cold comes unpredictable weather including ice, wind and snow. These weather conditions can do a number on your home if the proper precautions are not taken. Your roof is especially at risk of damage, because it is taking the full brunt of the weather. In order to keep your roof (and home) safe, it is important to understand how to prevent ice dams and other issues caused by snow and ice.

What Issues Can A Roof Have In The Winter?

Every year, wintertime takes a toll on your roof. There are many problems that the excess frozen water can cause. Your gutters can freeze, your roof can sag if not properly prepared, and your house can get leaks caused by melting snow or ice. When your gutter freezes, ice dams can occur. To combat these issues, it is important to keep an eye on them, especially if you live in a place where heavy snowfall is common. Check your gutters regularly, make sure your roofing shingles and ceiling rafters are well fortified before winter, and be sure to shovel snow away from your house to avoid leaks and flooding in other parts of your house. Ice dams can be more tough to remove.

What Is An Ice Dam?

So what is an ice dam? An ice dam is a stretch of ice that typically forms on the edge of a roof. This stretch of ice prohibits melting snow from running into your gutter off your roof, causing a pool of water to form. Icicles are commonly attached to ice dams. The water that gets stuck behind the ice dam can seep through cracks (or cause cracks) in your ceiling, which can lead to severe water damage.

Where Do Ice Dams Come From?

In order to understand how to prevent ice dams, it is important to be aware of how ice dams are formed. It is most common for an ice dam to form when heat from inside the house escapes and interacts with snow that is on the roof. The outside temperature must be below freezing in order for the melting snow to refreeze and create a dam. The snow that melts on the roof and runs into the dam will cause the dam to get bigger. The excess water can leak into the house leading to discoloration of the ceiling, water damage, and potential for mold and mildew.

How To Prevent Ice Dams

One of the best things that you can do when you are in the middle of winter to prevent ice dams is to make sure that snow does not get packed onto your roof. Try to remove the snow as soon as you can, especially if there is six inches or more of snow that collects on your roof. Be cautious if you pursue this option, because being on a roof at any time can be dangerous, but it is especially dangerous when there is ice and snow. When you have more time to prepare for an ice dam, make sure that your ceiling is well insulated and sealed so that no warm air can escape through the attic.

What To Do If Ice Dams Form

If an ice dam forms, then there really is not a whole lot that you can do yourself to remove it. Ice dams can be dangerous and the best way to get an ice dam removed is to contact a professional. Ice dam removal specialists have equipment that can safely and gently eliminate ice dams without causing any damage to your house. Here at Multiman Services, we have experienced professionals that can make sure that the ice dams on your house are removed quickly, carefully, and efficiently. For more information about our services or to learn more about ice dams, contact us today.

Have you ever noticed the white dots that track in a line down the side of your house? If you have siding on your home, you could have these annoying spots. These dots are created by thermal bridging which is caused by heat escaping from the inside of the home.

What Is Thermal Bridging?

Thermal bridging can also be referred to as a thermal bypass or a heat bridge. A thermal bridge is a part or section of an object or area that is more conductive than the surrounding area, allowing for heat to easily move through it. Thermal bridging occurs when there is an area in the home that is not properly insulated, allowing for the hot air on the inside of the home to escape. This can happen around windows, doors, or along separations between studs if they are not properly insulated.

When you see white dots in a line along your siding, it is likely caused by a separation of insulation between the studs. The heat that leaks from inside can create moisture within the wall behind the siding. The nails used to support the studs can react to the extra heat and moisture and cause discoloration in the siding.

Thermal bridging can also cause higher energy bills because as much as 30% of your home’s heat can escape through thermal bridges. As mentioned before, thermal bridging can cause moisture to collect within the wall. This condensation can lead to water damage or mold growth. Water damage can become a bigger, more expensive problem overtime and mold growth is serious because it can cause health risks to you and your family.

How To Prevent And Remove Thermal Bridges

Unfortunately, dots created by thermal bridges cannot be removed from the siding because they are chemical stains. The best way to deal with those dots is to prevent further thermal bridging from occurring and then replacing the siding or painting over the dots. Thermal bridges can be prevented by simply implementing proper insulation. If you are building a house with siding, make sure that you invest in quality continuous insulation or insulated sheathing.

Also if you make the decision to replace your siding, it is advisable to add better insulation from the outside because it is typically less expensive to add insulation from the outside than from the inside. Make sure that windows are properly caulked and that there are no gaps around door and window openings in order to minimize transferring heat. Lastly, verify that your glass is insulated and your doors are properly insulated.

Still Need Exterior Cleaning Services?

Here at Multiman Services, we have many services available to you to help keep your home’s exterior in tip-top shape. However, our services can only go so far. As this article has outlined, we cannot remove marks created by thermal bridging because the marks are essentially little bleach spots. Luckily, if you have more questions regarding thermal bridging or our other services including gutter cleaning, window cleaning or concrete washing, we are here to help. Contact us today for more information.

Deck, Porch, and Patio. What are they and what does each term refer to? This article will address the similarities and differences between each term. This article will also provide 3 tips to maintaining a clean patio this summer. These tips will help you maintain a beautiful and clean patio–one that you’ll be proud of!

Deck, Porch and Patio: Unpacking Each Term and What it Means

A deck is a porch or section of your house that extends from the house. A deck usually doesn’t have a roof that stretches over it. A deck tends to be more expensive than a patio and porch because it involves more of an investment and maintenance.

A porch is similar to a deck in that it extends outside. But unlike a deck, it’s often covered by walls or a roof and requires less maintenance than a deck. A porch is usually in front of the house.

A patio, on the other hand, can be attached to the house or can be its own feature outside. For example, most patios involve patio furniture like chairs, tables, umbrellas, and other accessories. Patios are great for hosting friends and family, and are often places where people gather. Patios are often in the backyard.

Each type of outdoor space provides different benefits and disadvantages. For more information about the pros and cons of each, read this and this.

3 Ways to Maintain a Clean and Beautiful Patio This Summer

There are many ways to have a clean and beautiful patio during the summer. Here are a few tips that you can use to help you with your patio. Most of these tips pertain to maintaining a concrete patio. For help with brick, pavers, and stone patios, reach out to us for more information.

Tip #1: Choose Patio Furniture That Will Not Rust

Because patio furniture is often exposed to the outdoor elements and environment, it’s very important to either choose furniture that can be protected from rusting. The most rust-resistant material to keep an eye out for is high-density polyethylene (HDPE) lumber. HDPE is made from recycled plastic. This means that it does better outdoors, even when the furniture is left uncovered. Other types of material that do not rust as quickly include concrete, wooden outdoor furniture, cast aluminum, and all-weather rattan.

With the help of maintenance and cleaning services like MultiMan Services, you can get advice on how to maintain whatever patio furniture you choose. This way, you don’t feel limited to certain types of furniture. Additionally, if your furniture does rust, MultiMan Services would be able to help you remove the rust stains.

Tip #2: Remove all the loose debris surrounding the patio

It’s very important to remove any debris or waste that is around the patio area. For example, using a leaf blower to collect leaves or using a broom to sweep away any dirt that gets in the patio area.

Removing the debris is very helpful to beautifying your patio as well as make it a place that’s clean and fun to be in. With the help of a cleaning service like MultiMan Services, you would be able to not only have the basic removal of the debris, but you would also have a deep cleaning of your patio area.

Tip #3: Remove Mildew, Grease, Mud and Other Stains

If you’ve had to clean your patio before, then you’ve probably heard that substances like oxalic acid, chlorine bleach, and cornstarch can be helpful to removing different stains. While these substances may somewhat remove mildew, grease, mud and other stains, they are also harsh substances that you should be careful with. These chemicals also just function on a surface-level and may not be as effective as getting a deep cleaning service that can help you.

MultiMan Services Can Change Your Patio For The Better

Because the summer is the time to enjoy camp fires, barbecues, and outdoor activities, it’s very important that you feel comfortable in your patio area. At Multiman Services, we can help you with your patio by:

Safely removing rust and other stains from your patio area and furniture.
Addressing the different issues associated with different patio surfaces. Most solutions to patio issues focus on concrete but you might not have a concrete surface
Deep cleaning your patio so that it’s ready for entertaining loved ones
Cleaning your patio furniture to make it stand out and beautiful
Making sure that your patio area does not have debris or dirt that may make it unsafe

If you’re looking for a dedicated and honest cleaning or handyman service, reach out to us at Multiman Services. We would be happy to answer your questions, address your concerns, and help you to a cleaner home and backyard.

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