With the holidays just around the corner, so is the beautiful snowy weather! While the snow and freezing temperatures lead to cozy days inside your home, they can also lead to some unfortunate damage outdoors if proper care isn’t taken. Believe it or not, your fence may need some maintenance in the winter season depending on where it is located and what material it is made of. What are the possible damages to your fence during winter and how can you prevent them?
Trim any trees that are near your fence. Trees that are left untrimmed around your fence could cause damage if a branch falls onto your fence due to the weight of snow. You can prevent a future repair by trimming your trees before the snowy season arrives.
Be careful when plowing. If your fence is close to your driveway, resist the urge to pile the snow next to your fence. Not only can the weight of the snow put a warp or sag into your fence, but the constant moisture is extremely harsh on wood. Try to prevent moisture from sitting on your wood fence by keeping the area around as free from snow as reasonably possible.
Additionally, be careful that you don’t plow right into your fence and damage it! While this isn’t a common problem, it has happened before!
Keep your fence visible to others. This tip is more for the homeowner with a fence close to a road. Make sure that drivers can see your fence, especially if it is white. Adding reflectors along your fence adjoining a road can help keep your fence safe from collisions.
Keep snow off of your wood fence as much as possible. We touched on this briefly above, but wood fences are particularly susceptible to moisture. To prevent your wood fence from absorbing too much moisture (and causing warpage and damage in the future), keep your fence cleared of excess snow. You can brush off snow with a gloved hand or a broom. Keep in mind, the best way to prevent moisture damage is to keep your fence treated with an effective sealant!
We hope these quick winter care tips are helpful as you head into freezing weather! As always, if you see that your fence needs repair, don’t wait to get it fixed up. Damage that is ignored will lead to more extensive damage over time. Our team at Wymore Deck and Fence is ready to help with any of your fencing needs!
