The winter snow may look beautiful on your iron fence, but the winter weather as a whole can damage your fence if you don’t give it the right protection. Iron is one of the most durable fencing materials out there, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t need occasional maintenance and upkeep. In this week’s blog, we’ll discuss the best ways to take care of your iron fence this winter. Give your iron fence the maintenance it needs, and it will repay you by lasting for many years.
Winter Iron Fence Maintenance
Trim Those Limbs
Tree limbs can get heavy and break in the winter under the weight of frozen snow and ice. When this happens, watch out below. A fence can be damaged by a falling limb, and the heavier the limb, the more potential for damage. If you have any limbs that hang over your fence, consider trimming them back to prevent this from happening. It’s a good idea to trim back vegetation from your fence anyway, to keep it from growing around the fence and weakening its integrity.
Remove Piles of Debris
Have piles of dead leaves, sticks, and other debris built up around the base of your fence? These are moisture traps that can saturate the earth around the fence when snow and ice build up there. What happens then is that the earth around the fence becomes loose, which can cause posts to come loose. This will make the fence shift and look out of place, and possibly even break. To avoid this, just make sure to rake up leaves and debris that accumulate by the base of your iron fence. This is a good idea for the fall as well.
Regular Inspections
Walk along the length of your fence every other week to look for any areas where it may have been damaged. Chipped paint might not seem like a big deal now, but it can turn into a large rust spot if you just leave it there. Fix any damage now to prevent it from becoming a bigger problem later.
Hercules Custom Iron has more than 70 years of experience crafting ornamental iron and quality aluminum in its in-house manufacturing facility. Contact Us today to learn more about how we can help you with your next custom iron, specialty metal or aluminum project! Also, be sure to follow Hercules Custom Iron on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn!