Any water damage New Jersey team would say that you would be wise to cross your fingers and hope with all your might that you will never need to call a water damage restoration company to come extract water from your home, but did you know this all too common type of household damage looms menacingly over homes all across the country, especially the New Jersey area every year? Did you also know it is what likely weakened the Night Watch in ‘Game of Thrones’? Unless you are an Amish farmer from Pennsylvania, you have likely either heard of or seen the hit HBO show ‘Game of Thrones’. In this epic medieval tale of territorial expansion and fight for the thrown, various houses compete with one another to sit on the Iron Throne in Westeros—a kingdom protected by the Night Watch that keeps vigil at the Wall to protect Westeros from Wildings from the North, and from the White Walkers. These brave defenders of Westeros live in Castle Black—a crumbling fortress that only offers limited amounts of protection, and it is believed water damage is responsible for causing much of the havoc that weakened this kingly abode.

Water Damage from a Freeze

Water is an ironic thing: it sustains life, but it also takes it away. Whether water wreaks havoc in the form of a hurricane or in plumbing issues, it has the ability to cause structural damage making the home structurally vulnerable to attacks from the White Walkers, or household mold and decay. When professional companies are called out in the winter months (yes, winter is coming) to provide water damage restoration services you can bet the House of Lannister that most of it is caused by snow runoff and ice damage. Just look at Castle Black; it rests behind and above a giant wall of ice. Now look at its structural condition. When ice forms in gaps inside one’s crawlspace and piles upwards, the home’s interior heat can cause surface melting and runoff which in turn can soak in through the foundation and bubble up through cracks in the concrete. Cement, concrete and bricks may seem like sturdy elements, but in truth they are porous and can easily absorb moisture. When this happens materials can expand, crack and warp and cause crumbling or cause the home to shift.

Furthermore, water inside pipes can freeze and cause enough pressure to shoot through the plumbing system that an area of the pipe can bulge. When this happens a pipe burst can spray water everywhere. Castle Black is so huge that this likely happened in some remote corner of the structure and went unnoticed for weeks, causing devastating structural damage and Lord Commander Allister Thorne’s obvious disgust while trying to hold the gate. Your home too can fall prey to the clutches of winter, and any precautionary steps would be wise to take. We all love HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ but protecting your home from freeze induced water damage is no game! Take heed from your local water damage New Jersey crew and rule your castle wisely!

Protecting Your Home from Winter:

Any water damage New Jersey company will say that if you can keep your home dry and your pipes at room temperature, you will have a good chance of fighting off the threats of winter and prove more successful than Jon Snow. Here are some things you can do:

• Shovel snow from your roof
• Ensure your home and basement are properly insulated
• Allow a slight drip
• Insulate your pipes
• Inspect rook prior to winter

By insulating your pipes and the walls in which they run, freezing temperatures will not be able to freeze the water within. Keeping the snow off your roof will limit the pressure and the runoff that can seep down the side of your home and into the foundation. Allowing a slight drip in your plumbing will help keep the water moving and therefore reduce the chance of a freeze. And if you inspect your roof prior to winter you can make any repairs needed to keep snow melt off from causing rot or damage!  Tyrion and your local water damage New Jersey crew would want it this way!