What is the difference between rain-on-snow and a frozen pipe?
Rain-on-snow is an outside water event: rain and melt run into the ground and the building, and the water comes from the sky and the snow. A frozen pipe is an inside problem, where water in a supply line freezes and splits the line. The two need different cleanup, and the crew checks for both.
A frozen pipe usually shows at one point: a sink, a wall or a fixture, and often on a cold night. Water from a split line is clean and comes from inside the house. Rain-on-snow water comes through doors, windows and foundation walls, and it brings silt and leaves with it.
Because the two can happen in the same winter, the crew checks the water source before drying. A house with both a split line and a rain flood needs the line repaired by a plumber, and the outside water removed and dried by the cleanup crew.
Why does rain on snow flood houses that have been fine all winter?
Rain adds water to snow that is already holding a great deal of it, and the melt runs off faster than the ground can take it in. The runoff then reaches low spots, doors and foundations that stayed dry through the cold weather.
A deep snowpack holds water in its layers, and rain soaks into it and melts the bottom. The combined water runs toward the lowest point around the house. Drains and ditches can clog with snow and debris, which pushes the water toward the building.
The Spokane County Flood Insurance Study describes these events as one of the two main flood types in the county. The result is a house that stayed dry in January and took water in a warm rain the next week, which is the reason homeowners are often surprised by winter water.
How does the price of rain-on-snow work get set?
The depth of the water, how many floors and rooms it reached, whether the crawl space or basement was affected, how much debris came in and how long the drying runs all change the work. The price is explained and approved on site before any equipment is placed.
A winter event that reached only the entry takes a short visit. An event that ran along the house, filled a crawl space and reached the basement stairs takes more readings and more equipment, and the crew plans the removal in the order the water traveled.
Cold weather lengthens drying. Framing that stays cool dries more slowly, and the crew may run the equipment longer in a cold crawl space or basement. That is part of the work as it is priced, and the reason is explained on the first visit.
What should I do first when rain has come in during a winter storm?
Keep away from standing water near electrical equipment, shut off power at the panel if it can be done safely, and move valuables up off the floor. Photograph the water and the entry points before anything is cleaned. Then call for water removal and keep the damaged items until your insurer has seen them.
The first hour is about safety and records. Do not walk through water near the furnace, the water heater, the outlets or the panel. If you can reach the panel from a dry spot, switch off the power to the affected area. If you cannot, wait for the crew or an electrician.
Take photographs of the water line on the walls, of the entry point and of anything standing in the water. Move rugs, boxes and small furniture onto dry ground. These steps help the crew work faster and help the insurer see what happened.
Can the water come back in the next storm?
It can, if the water still has the same route to the building. The cleanup removes and dries the water that is already in, but the route it used is set by the grading, the drains, the window wells and the snow piled against the walls. The crew records that route so it can be addressed before the next storm.
Snow piled against the foundation, a clogged drain or a driveway that slopes toward the garage will send the next storm the same way. Clearing those points before a warm spell is the simplest protection, and a homeowner can do it safely with a shovel.
A regrading or drainage repair is outside the cleanup visit and is handled by a contractor you choose. The crew's record of the water path gives that contractor a clear starting point.
