During the summer months in Northeast, Ohio the weather can affect your home. Extreme heat along with severe storms can potentially cause damage to the interior and exterior of your house.
Here are four specific parts of your home that summer weather can damage
The foundation of your home may be in danger in the hotter months due to the drying nature of heat. Foundations are designed to use the surrounding soil as a continuous support system. As the ground heats up, the soil will shrink and the moisture will evaporate, causing the soil to separate from the footing potentially doing damage to the foundation. A severe storm can produce large amounts of water that can invade cracks in your foundation flooding your basement.
Roofs are also highly susceptible to heat damage. Attics are the hottest part of your house. They are often not built with great airflow. Humidity can build up in an attic and the excess of heat and moisture under the roof can cause the shingles to deteriorate at an accelerated rate. High temperatures can also cause your roof to expand and warp causing shingles to crack making them more likely to leak. Heavy rains, wind and hail can damage your shingles.
Hardwood floors can warp from the humidity that comes in the hotter months. Heat and humidity cause wood to expand, and as wood absorbs moisture, it causes the edges of the floorboards to push upward creating an uneven surface. The moisture that accumulates in wooden floors may dry up eventually allowing them to return to their original shape, but the prolonged humidity of summer can also cause floors to crack and result in some permanent damage
Plumbing can be at risk in the summer months. If pipes are not sealed correctly, they are much more likely to leak, or even burst. High water usage and pressure from swimming pools, garden hoses, automatic sprinklers and even day-to-day operations can cause these pipes to leak.
Extreme hot weather and severe storms can be an enemy to your homes structure. www.orionohio.com
