Don’t let Old Man Winter Put Your Association In a Deep Freeze – Best Practices for Community Association Winterization Techniques

ice damming on older brick apartment building

2023 Winterization Techniques 

Old Man Winter is around the corner.  Is your association winterized and ready for another unpredictable Chicago winter season?

Let Chicago Property Services help you prepare your association, so you are ready for whatever comes your way during this upcoming Winter season.

  1. Snow Removal Vendor/Plan – Do you have a vendor in place to remove the snow? Do you have a signed agreement?  Is your agreement a seasonal agreement or is it a per push agreement?  Will your vendor come only after a 2” snow fall, or will your vendor come any time there is freezing rain or snow fall incident? 
  2. Salt Buckets and Scoops in the foyers – Do you have entrance foyers in your association? Do you have buckets of salt with scoops installed in the foyers yet?  What happens if you have a freezing rain incident, and your vendor doesn’t come out because there was under a 2” snow fall incident?  What if there are icy sidewalks?  Who is going to salt the sidewalks and parking lot?
  3. Heating System Fall Maintenance – Have you had your common area heating system checked? Does your building have a steam heating system or a hot water heating system?  Have the unit owner’s radiators been checked yet for operation and for leaks?
  4. Avoid Frozen and Burst Pipes – Have you informed the homeowners of the best practices on avoiding frozen and/or burst pipes? Has your association delt with frozen or burst pipes in the past?  Make sure all homeowners ALWAYS leave the heat on inside their units.  In addition, on extremely cold days, the owners should open their bathroom vanity doors and kitchen sink bottom doors to help prevent frozen or burst pipes.
  5. Prevent Ice Damming Emergencies – Has your association experienced ice damming issues in the past? What damage has resulted from the ice damming?  Do you have a vendor on standby to help address ice damming issues?  Have you considered installing a deicing cable system to help minimize ice damming? 

Summary

The best way to prevent Winter emergencies is to plan ahead.  Make sure you inform all the homeowners about these winterization best practices so that you can minimize or perhaps even avoid all types of headaches and emergencies that Old Man Winter may otherwise bring to you and your association.