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Should You be Concerned about the Freeze-Thaw Cycle?

By
Real Estate Agent with Louisville Real Estate Pros - 502-435-5524 63655

Most have seen the comic that shows a person enjoying a beautiful summer morning, then they are caught in a monsoon durign mid-morning, taking shelter from a tornado at 2pm, are in a blizzard at 4pm, followed by a beautiful Fall evening. The caption says something along the lines of “Just another day in the Ohio Valley”. The point being is this; we have a lot of variance in our weather patterns in the Louisville area. This past week, Louisville saw temperatures pushing 70 degrees to be followed a few days later with rain, then a snow shower later that afternoon with temperatures falling again into the teens. We have also had a lot of moisture this year. One concern home owners should have is their roof during these cycles.

The freeze-thaw cycle can cause damage to your home and you may not even be aware of it until months later. Ice damming can occur on your roof, preventing water from flowing off.  Heat escapes through your roof, melts the snow and then it slides down to the overhang to refreeze. This ice dam actually prevents ice, rain, and melting snow from draining off of the roof and into gutters properly. Water can then get backed up into the seams of roofs, under shingles, and around chimneys causing water damage to the underlying structures. Take a quick trip up into the attic to make sure that it has proper insulation and ventilation. Keeping the temperature even in the eaves of your roof will help to prevent ice dams from forming.

 

Sometimes, when water freezes and expands into ice, it can cause flashing to come undone. This will allow for water to enter your home around chimney and vent areas. A quick check in the attic for any unwanted entering moisture will quickly let you know if this is a problem. When the temperatures warm up, a brief inspection on the roof around chimneys and vents will tell the bigger pictures. Fixing flashing issues is usually easy as a DIY or fairly cheap when hiring a contractor to repair.

Posted by

Pam Ruckriegel, Lead Agent with the Louisville Real Estate Pros -Bringing Buyers and Sellers together in the Louisville, KY and surrounding areas.

Call 502-554-9554

For a free MLS search for homes in the Louisville, KY area, visit my website at www.LouisvilleRealEstatePros.com.  You can perform your own search for real estate in Louisville, KY just like the Realtors do there.

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Comments (6)

Sharon & Bruce Walter
Keller Williams Realty Lafayette, IN - Lafayette, IN
West Lafayette homes for sale

Pam, the freeze and thaw cycle is very hard on concrete and foundations as well.  Good information for you readers!

Feb 24, 2014 11:02 AM
Pam Ruckriegel
Louisville Real Estate Pros - 502-435-5524 - Louisville, KY
Negotiating the Best Deal for You!

Walters, thanks for stopping by! 

Feb 24, 2014 11:20 AM
Larry Thompson
Sierra Pacific Mortgage - Knoxville, TN

Great tips Pam! Your weather sounds a lot like here in Knoxville. We frequently use the saying "If you don't like the weather, wait 15 minutes". And yes, freezing and thawing can do a lot of damage and cause extreme wear to many building materials. The key as you noted, are frequent inspections. Identify problems while they are small and more easily managed and repaired.

Feb 24, 2014 07:52 PM
Randy Shamburger
Movement Mortgage - Greenville, SC
FHA, VA, USDA and Conventional Mortgage Expert

Good read, great information, thanks for sharing.

Have a Big day,

Randy

Feb 24, 2014 11:51 PM
Dana Basiliere
Rossi & Riina Real Estate - Williston, VT
Making deals "Happen"

Pam,

It sounds like homes in your area should be built to the building codes of the Northeast or northern Midwest. The exterior materials, the amount and type of insulation all help level out the effects of the harsh temperature swings. 

Feb 25, 2014 09:12 PM
Pam Ruckriegel
Louisville Real Estate Pros - 502-435-5524 - Louisville, KY
Negotiating the Best Deal for You!

Larry, we have the very same saying here about the weather!  I always have a BIG Day Randy!  Dana, it's amazing what a little insulation can do for you!

Feb 25, 2014 09:26 PM