How To Prevent Snow Melt In Your Garage

You may have just spent the last few months having to squeegee out your garage due to snow melt. Snow melt in a garage can damage possessions, cause damp and moisture that can result in mold, and creates a safety risk as people may slip. Make this the last winter that you must deal with this problem by following our suggestions below:

Unblock Frozen Garage Drains

It is common for drains installed near the garage to become obstructed by leaves, twigs, frozen water or snow. Removing these obstructions will help you to keep your garage dry as the snow melt will be taken away and not enter under the door. You can use boiling water, or a baking soda/vinegar mix to remove any blockages caused by frozen water.

Brush the Snow off your Vehicle

Keep a brush in your car and before parking it, brush off all snow on the vehicle, including in the wheel wells. This will minimise the amount of snow tracked into the garage by the vehicle.

Squeegee as Quickly as Possible

If any snow is tracked into the garage, you need to remove it as quickly as possible. Allowing it to settle in the garage will lead to problems. Get a squeegee or mop and deal with the snow melt before it becomes a real problem.

Install a Barrier

Snow melt on the concrete floor of a garage can lead to cracks appearing in the foundation due to freeze thaw. Whilst some people recommend using garage mats, this is a short-sighted solution. These mats eventually fail, allowing snow melt into the garage. Worse still is when the water leaks in underneath the mats and goes unnoticed for a prolonged period. A better solution is to install a garage door threshold seal. These form a watertight barrier underneath the door, preventing snow melt from entering the garage. 

Use a Dehumidifier

Snow melt coming into the garage will cause moisture build up to occur. Using a dehumidifier to remove the moisture from the air will help to minimise this problem and help prevent mold developing. It will also keep the garage smelling fresh and prevent any possessions stored in the garage from smelling like mildew.

Heating the Garage

If you park your car in the garage, it is inevitable that some snow will be tracked in. This snow melt can be dealt with by space heaters or mid-height overhead lamps which can evaporate it. This can then be dealt with by the dehumidifier. Whilst a costly option, this is well worth the money as it can save you money on costly repairs to the garage or replacement of possessions.

Suck up water with a Sump Pump

Snow melt becoming standing water is a problem in old garages. This can be remedied using a flexible hose and a sump pump to remove the water.

The solutions recommended above are all tried-and-tested but will not work for every homeowner. For some garages, the problem can only be rectified with the installation of drains and driveway regrading. In those cases, we recommend contacting professionals to ensure the problem is solved and new ones are not created.