Protecting your home through Ohio's wild weather swings

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Unpredictable weather in central Ohio pretty much comes with the territory. Over the last few days, the climate has gone from the bitter cold and snow to a rainy warm-up. But these weather swings can harm your home which could cost time and money. “Where it affects it the most is [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Unpredictable weather in central Ohio pretty much comes with the territory. Over the last few days, the climate has gone from the bitter cold and snow to a rainy warm-up.

But these weather swings can harm your home which could cost time and money.

“Where it affects it the most is the downspout systems and the sump pumps that are in homes. That’s designed to get the water that does get into the ground away from the house and out to the street,” plumber Mike Roll with Atlas Butler said.

When the water isn’t carried away from your house, you could end up with a flooded basement and interior damage.

Roll said people should be inspecting their sump pumps and downspouts a few times a year and after major snow or rainstorms.

“It’s just ensuring that your systems are working," Roll said. "That’s the main thing is if your systems aren’t working or if you don’t know if they’re working, that’s a question you are going to need answered. Otherwise, you’re going to deal with a flooded basement."

Roofs and gutters can also be damaged this time of year, causing leaking outside or inside your home.

Chad Baker, the owner of JF Baker Roofing, said homeowners should look out for heavy snow and icicles in their gutters.

 “Snow and ice that accumulates there could eventually pull the gutter down, causing damage to the house or requiring gutter replacement,” Baker said. “So as long as we can keep that water moving in the gutters before it has a chance to freeze, the better off we would be.”

Baker said his goal is always to get water from rain or melted snow off of the roof, into the gutters and then drain out to the street.

The best thing you can do is get up on the roof and check your gutters or call someone to do it for you.

“When we go from freezing temperatures, snow-covered roofs to jumping into 40 and 50-degree weather and a lot of rain, that’s when we can get a lot of leaking that may not otherwise be a common or reoccurring issue,” Baker said.

Both Roll and Baker said that being proactive is key for your plumbing system, roof and gutters because being reactive can be expensive.