Tips To Keep Your Outdoor Drains Clear During The Winter

Make sure to get annual maintenance on your HVAC systems to uphold your warranties.

Tips To Keep Your Outdoor Drains Clear During The Winter

Tips To Keep Your Outdoor Drains Clear During The Winter

21 January 2022
 Categories:
, Blog


When it comes to your house's pipes during the winter, the most frequent concern is that a pipe inside your house will freeze and then burst. But while that is of course something you should keep an eye on as a homeowner, you may also want to pay extra attention to any outdoor drains you have on your property during this time of year. These drains are typically good at helping you remove water from your driveway or another area of your property during the rainy season. But winter can bring its own problems and concerns. Here are some tips to keep in mind to keep your outdoor drains clear this coming winter as the snow and ice melts and begins to move towards the drains.

Make Sure the Outdoor Drains are Cleared or Cleaned at Least Once a Year

For best results, you should have a local expert give your outdoor drains a professional-grade cleaning at least once a year. Sometimes debris can get past your drain's grate and make it into the drain, eventually causing a blockage to develop. Getting the drains completely cleaned of all debris will make it easier for melted snow to drain properly and will also make it easier for you to deal with frozen water inside the drain.

Use Buckets of Hot Water to Melt a Block of Ice Inside Your Outdoor Drain

Speaking of that frozen water, it's possible that your outdoor drainage system could develop a block this winter not from debris but simply from a large block of ice forming inside the drain. If you notice melted snow is not draining properly, you might want to make sure that ice is not the culprit before you call for professional help. Get a bucket or pot of boiling water and then quickly dump it into the outside drain as quickly as possible. Repeat a few times if needed, but make sure you aren't running outside so fast that you slip and fall on any ice or snow. If after a few attempts, it's clear the water is still not draining, it might be a debris problem and you might need to contact a professional who can help you.

Install Better Grates That Can Keep More Debris From Getting Inside the Drain

If you are getting your drains professionally cleaned or inspected, ask the expert to also take a look at any grates you have on top of the drain. It's possible there might be a better grate that can be installed during your drain cleaning service that will do a better job of keeping debris out of the drain as water moves its way in. Do a better job of keeping debris out of the drain in the first place and it will be much less likely that you'll experience issues this winter or during any future winter.

About Me
It's More Important Than You Think

I used to routinely get calls from HVAC contractors in my area offering annual maintenance contracts. As soon they would identify themselves, I would quickly say no thank you and hang up. After all, my heating and cooling system was working fine. Why would I spend money on services I clearly didn't need? Boy was I wrong! A few years ago, my AC unit suddenly stopped working. I called my HVAC contractor to have it repaired and assumed that my warranty would pick up the bill. That was until I learned my warranty was voided due to a lack of maintenance. Out of nowhere, my decision to ignore those maintenance calls was about to cost me more than a $1,000. I know there are others out there like me. It is my hope that this site will provide them with the knowledge they need to avoid the mistakes I made.

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