It’s evident that winter is coming. The temperatures have dropped from the high seventies to the low fifties in just a week. Colder temperatures along with the extreme weather that winters here in Michigan bring can do some serious damage to the maintenance of your home and property, including the aluminum fence that encloses the perimeter of your home. During winter, perception is known to come down in multiple forms including rain, snow, sleet, and hail. We have been known to have a complete thaw one day and freezing ice and snow the next. Winters in Michigan can do some serious damage to your fence. To avoid this there are a number of precautions that can be taken to prevent damage to the fence come spring.
Landscaping around the fence is one of the best things that you can do for your fence. Proper landscaping prevents the full weight of the snow from leaning up against the panels. It is also important that trees that overhang the fence are properly trimmed back. This helps to prevent tree limbs from falling on the aluminum fence. Snow and ice are heavy and can potentially fall on the fence and damage the panels. Properly trimming trees prevents this from occurring.
Snow should never be allowed to pile up around the fence. One way to help prevent this is by removing the build up of leaves and debris from around the fencing panels in the fall. Without the leaves sitting up against the fence collecting moisture, going through the freeze thaw process, the fence should stay in good condition. Leaves lock in moisture which causes fence damage, warping, and rust.
Maintenance throughout the winter is always necessary as snow should always be moved away from the fence using a rake or shovel. Without the snow built up around the fence it can evenly melt and allow the fence to uniformly dry out.
Maintenance is a key element in keeping your home in top shape. The same is true of your aluminum fence. If you begin to notice small damage to the fence be sure it is quickly taken care to prevent further, bigger issues down the road. If there is damage to the posts they can quickly become weakened and may not withstand the shrinking and expansion that comes with the freeze and melt of the winter weather. Repairs and maintenance need to be kept up on to prevent small repairs from becoming major problems down the road.
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