{"id":15098,"date":"2023-01-16T10:17:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-16T10:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/?p=15098"},"modified":"2026-02-09T07:36:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T07:36:08","slug":"avoid-getting-snowed-under-with-property-issues-this-winter-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/avoid-getting-snowed-under-with-property-issues-this-winter-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Avoid getting snowed under with property issues this winter"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2020 was undoubtedly a challenging year, and while many of us may have hoped for a less turbulent start to 2021, the weather unfortunately hasn\u2019t been in our favour. Since the beginning of January, the UK, particularly the North of England and Scotland, has been tackling snowfall and temperatures below zero. With London and the south of England blanketed in snow recently, and the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/news\/weather\/1385483\/UK-snow-forecast-latest-met-office-forecast-long-range-weather-January-winter-charts\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Met Office<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> predicting more over the coming weeks, the risk of property damage being caused by freezing and damp is heightened. Therefore it is advisable that residents and property managers take action to safeguard premises in order to prevent problems occurring.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Snow damage<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Winter weather has a habit of exacerbating many property issues. For example, heavy snowfall may slowly melt and result in water entering the building through cracks or holes in the roof. And, if drains and gutters are not clear of leaves, moss and other debris, waterflow will be restricted, potentially leading to penetrating damp problems. What\u2019s more, if temperatures rise and snow melts and then refreezes, ice dams can form on the edge of roofs and in the guttering. This can prevent rain runoff and lead to water seeping into the property or into the walls. If masonry<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-14447\" src=\"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/GettyImages-160840799.jpg\" alt=\"snow and icicles attached to rood\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/> becomes soaked and this is then followed by a cold snap, the moisture may turn to ice, which will expand and could lead to the masonry becoming \u2018spalled\u2019 and the face delaminating.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s advisable to regularly check drains and gutters, and the area around your guttering, are clear to ensure water can flow away; this will also help prevent ice dams from forming. Also consider checking your pointing and rendering are all in place, as rain or snow could enter a building if it is loose or damaged.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Frost can bite\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Frost can also cause damage to a property. This is more common in unoccupied buildings where the heating isn\u2019t running or the lack of human activity allows indoor temperatures to drop significantly. If the interior temperature falls below zero the water pipes can freeze, causing them to burst.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have left a property unoccupied its important to leave the heating on the \u2018frost\u2019 setting or set with a timer for at least an hour a day. This will help maintain indoor temperatures above freezing and prevent water expanding as it freezes and damaging pipes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Also consider insulating external pipes and loft areas, for example by opening the loft trap door to ensure warm air is circulating, and therefore won\u2019t be susceptible to frost damage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Tell-tale signs of water ingress<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While conditions are cold, if you notice any walls are damp, contain deposits of salts (which will become visible as white or grey stains), decorations feel chalky or flaky, or brown water stains are emerging, it\u2019s likely there is water ingress and your building needs additional damp proofing. It\u2019s important to understand the full extent of any damp<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-13568\" src=\"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/damp-stains-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Damp stains Living room\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/damp-stains-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/damp-stains-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/damp-stains-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/> problems that are occurring as failure to do so could result in the issue resurfacing, and potentially causing more damage. Recent <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.buildingtalk.com\/blog-entry\/guest-article-residents-admit-to-papering-over-problem-areas-to-keep-damp-at-bay\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">research from Peter Cox<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> discovered that over a fifth (21%) of UK adults admitted they have tried to fix a damp issue by simply papering or painting over the problem area.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Checking for and repairing defective pointing, masonry and rainwater systems is the first line of defence. If the masonry is porous, consider calling in the experts to fit a Cavity Drain Membrane. This is a great solution against water ingress, designed to control both damp and water vapour above ground and the penetration of below groundwater.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Final thoughts<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regularly inspecting your property for the early warning signs of damp is essential. The longer any repairs against water ingress are ignored, the greater the risk to your property. If you\u2019re unsure of how to spot these signs yourself, enlist the help of a property specialist \u2013 it will give you peace of mind and ensure that problems are not able to develop undetected. Peter Cox offers a number of damp proofing and structural repair solutions that are cost-effective, clean and non-intrusive, with a range of techniques to solve problems tailored appropriately to different types of property.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Find out more about our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/our-services\/damp-proofing\/?utm_source=PR\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">damp proofing solutions for your property.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>2020 was undoubtedly a challenging year, and while many of us may have hoped for a less turbulent start to 2021, the weather unfortunately hasn\u2019t been in our favour. Since the beginning of January, the UK, particularly the North of England and Scotland, has been tackling snowfall and temperatures below zero. With London and the [&hellip;]<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":14446,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[98,50],"tags":[70,81],"class_list":["post-15098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-damp-proofing","category-waterproofing","tag-damp","tag-damp-proofing"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Winter Damp and Frost Risks Explained | Petercox<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover how snow, frost, and freezing weather can damage homes. Learn prevention tips to protect against damp, leaks and costly repairs this winter.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/avoid-getting-snowed-under-with-property-issues-this-winter-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Winter Damp and Frost Risks Explained | Petercox\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover how snow, frost, and freezing weather can damage homes. 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