With every season, there are changes you often need to make to maintain your business and prepare it for the new season. While spring is a great time of year to landscape and summer is an ideal time of year for installing asphalt, there are various steps you can take to prepare the interior and exterior of your business for winter weather.
1. Clear Your Gutters
Though southern California rarely has to deal with snow, the winter months often bring rain. Before heavy rain occurs, it’s important to make sure your gutters are clean. Leaves or small limbs can prevent your gutter from properly diverting rain from your property, which increases the risk of flooding. Likewise, if your downspouts are pointed towards your business, water is more likely to enter your building, and your property is also more likely to sustain water or mold damage. By keeping your gutters clear of debris and pointing them away from your building, you can reduce the chance of water damage or mold growth on the exterior and interior of your building.
2. Use Energy Efficiently
Though you’ll likely need to use more heat in the wintertime, using energy efficiently is still important. Set your thermostat to a lower temperature at nighttime or when no one is in the building. It’s also helpful to make sure there are no openings, such as cracks in walls, holes in roofs, or windows that are letting cold air in, as any of these issues could require you to use more energy to heat your building. Likewise, keeping your HVAC clean and replacing the HVAC’s air vents can also help to ensure energy is being used well.
3. Have an Annual Roof Inspection
An annual roof inspection is an important step to take, particularly before winter weather begins to affect your area. Wind and hail commonly cause damage to rooftops during the winter, which can cause commercial properties to temporarily shut down if water or mold damage occurs. Commercial property maintenance companies, such as Royal Oak Property Services, can inspect your roof and suggest any changes you may need to make to your roof, and provide you with additional methods you can use to protect your rooftop during the winter.
4. Prevent the Elements From Damaging Equipment and Tools
When the temperature drops, certain pieces of equipment and tools may become susceptible to damage if they remain outside. If certain equipment must stay outside, it’s helpful to keep it covered to decrease the chance of damage. You can move smaller pieces of equipment or tools inside of a shed or another storage area to prevent them from sustaining rust and other forms of damage. Inside your building, you can open cabinet drawers so as to expose your pipes and prevent them from freezing and bursting.
Overall, taking care of your property’s interior and exterior before winter weather arrives can help to ensure your business runs smoothly and efficiently as possible. You can feel confident that your business is ready for the winter when you take steps to prepare your property.