February 24, 2011

Get ready for the big melt

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W hat do you need to do to protect your home for coming big melt?

The Granville area will eventually thaw out, according to the rodent weather expert from Pennsylvania, and residents should be ready for what comes next, officials are saying. After a winter when more than seven feet of snow fell, the biggest concern for any resident should not be that snow mound where the roof unloaded during one of the few warm spring-like days the area has seen.

George Johnson of the Granville Village Department of Public Works said the list of things to do to be ready for the melt is not terribly long and comes down to one thing: water.

When the snow melts Johnson said, the biggest issue is getting it away from the structure. “You don’t want it ‘ponding up’ right next to the foundation where it can get in and start causing problems,” Johnson said.

Snowbanks, like those which built up over the past few weeks, are not as much of a concern as the water the snow and ice will become as the days and nights warm up and everything starts to melt.

“You’ve got to give that water dome a place to go, which is why you need to keep your local storm drain clear,” he said. “That snow is so hard-packed; it’s not going to go anywhere, so keep an eye on it while it melts,” he said.

As long as the water has a place to go, the biggest hazard from the highly anticipated spring melt is mitigated as much as possible. Johnson recommended taking a look at the layout of one’s lawn to determine if shoveling some snow out away from the house could help the area shed some of that water.

“Maybe cut some channels to make sure the melt water can get away; that’s the biggest thing. And if you have a sump pump and it hasn’t been used in a while, check that out, too. to make sure it’s going to work when you need it to,” Johnson said.

Do you have any tips for getting ready around the house for Spring? Drop us a line or post it in Talk To Me, Matt Rice’s blog.