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Protect Your Outdoor Space from Winter Weather

When you’ve invested time and money into your perfect outdoor space, you want to maintain it properly. Protecting your appliances, surfaces, and furniture is very important not only during the wet Spring season, but also during the cold and sometimes wet Winter season.

Winterizing Your Outdoor Space

• Shut off the water to your space. Letting water sit in the pipes and appliances can cause them to freeze and bust, causing damaged pipes, and sometimes affecting other parts of your outdoor kitchen. If your outdoor plumbing has its own shutoff valve, you can easily access it. Otherwise, you can disconnect the hoses on each appliance, draining them of water while you’re at it.
• Switch off the circuit breaker to your outdoor kitchen or unplug individual appliances to conserve resources during the winter months. When you disconnect the cords you can inspect them and be sure they are in proper working order for their next use.
• Clean your surfaces and appliances thoroughly. This includes refrigerators, sinks, counters, furniture, stoves, grills, and more. When your appliances are clean it decreases the risk of wild animals searching for food and shelter in your space. Wild animals can cause more damage than you think to your appliances and furniture.
• Don’t cover refrigerators and ice makers. Covering these appliances can cause moisture to be trapped inside the tarp or cover, causing damage to the working parts. The appliances sold for outdoor use are designed to withstand the elements without being covered.
• Remove faucets and store inside. This keeps the faucets from rusting and clogging. It is also a good idea to cover the sinks so that debris doesn’t settle into the basin, fall into the drain, and cause clogs and damage.
• Apply an industrial sealant to stone counter-tops to avoid stains, chips, cracks, and other damage caused by winter weather. You can find a sealant at local home improvement stores or hire a professional to winterize your counter-tops.
• Call a professional to inspect and winterize your gas appliance. You should also call a professional to install the appliance before use in the spring to insure it is in proper working order and safely connected to the gas source.
• Clean out and cover your fire pit. If your fire pit is mobile, you might consider storing it inside, or purchasing a custom fire pit cover. Avoid a cracked and damaged fire pit by covering it completely. If water is allowed to fill the basin and freeze, even durable metal will crack.

Preserve Your Space

This is by no means an exhaustive list of winter tips for your outdoor space. In addition, depending on your appliances, space, furniture, and more, you may need more or less preparation. The important thing is to preserve your space! This means preserving your investments, and maintaining the operation of your space. At IBD Outdoor Rooms we turn fantasy into reality, and we want your dream space to be your dream space next year too!