With fall already here and winter being right around the corner, it’s good to ask yourself whether your Dallas condominium association is ready for the winter weather or not. Hundreds of condominium associations and townhome associations across the Dallas/Fort Worth area have already begun scrambling to deal with the increasingly colder weather conditions. With temperatures getting colder and colder, this weather will soon be accompanied by the snow and ice across the DFW metroplex. Don’t let your condominium association find itself in a debate over what problems the Association is responsible for and what problems owners are responsible for due to a lack of preparedness.

Please consider the following hazards of colder weather, not all of which are obvious, and how to go about preparing for them.

*Disclaimer*: For all you AZ residents out there, this post is a bit more Dallas centric; however, if you live in the northern regions of AZ, where it actually does get cold, these tips can apply to your condo association as well!

Ice on Parking lots, Streets, Sidewalks, and Stairs

One of the most obvious hazards of winter comes from ice-covered walk ways and drive ways. Naturally, these can lead to slipping and falling, car accidents, property damage or worse. So what is your Dallas condo association’s responsibility when it comes to salting iced over areas? If you’re like most associations, the majority of this actually falls on the association. The sidewalks, stairs, walk ways, parking lots and sometimes even exterior balconies/terraces, are common elements or limited common elements according to Texas State law. Depending on if your condominium was established before 1992 or after your area of responsibility may differ, but in most cases all almost all of these areas will fall under the Association’s responsibility.

The Association has a duty to the owners and their guests to make a reasonable effort to clear these areas and to ensure, to a reasonable extent, that they are passable and safe within a reasonable amount of time. The word “reasonable” can have many meanings, and it is often up to the courts to decide what is or is not reasonable. That means, prior to the ice storm, the association or the Dallas HOA management company should be lining up vendors to begin salting the area. Salt only works when the temperature is above 0 degrees Fahrenheit and is less effective the closer to 0 degrees it becomes. Sand does not melt snow or ice, but instead provides effective traction when applied to the surface of ice. Salt should be reapplied daily as the water/salt solution may run off and leave the surface to refreeze.

Snow and Ice Accumulation on Roofs

We don’t think about this all that much in north Texas, but snow, especially when wet or icy, is very heavy and can easily damage or collapse a roof in the right quantities. Most roofs are rated to withstand between 10 lbs and 25 lbs per square foot of snow or ice build-up; it is often higher for commercial buildings. For a 10 lb rated roof, this translates to 38 inches of powdery snow, 5 inches of wet snow, or 2 inches of ice. For a 25 lb rated roof, the numbers increase significantly to about 95 inches of powder and 14 inches of wet snow, but just 5 inches of ice. Areas most subject to this kind of accumulation are valleys, lower roofs where spill over from an upper roof may land, and roof overhangs. If a roof has previously had a leak, this could compromise the integrity of the roof and lower its weight limits substantially. The expansion of water, once it freezes, can also damage a roof further, so it’s always a good idea to have regular roof inspections for this kind of damage. If accumulations reach these levels and cannot be addressed with de-icing, the building should be evacuated until it can be deemed safe by a professional.

Icicles

While they are rather majestic looking, icicles can pose a serious hazard. Your Dallas HOA management company should be hiring vendors to clear these along with other de-icing projects throughout your Dallas community and condominium association. The Association also has a responsibility to remove these icicles within a reasonable amount of time, to prevent injury or damage to property.

Gate Systems

If the Dallas homeowners of your condominium association have gates, be sure you leave these open prior to the winter weather. Rolling black outs are typical during this weather, and while it’s ideal for gates to have a back-up power system that allows them to open during a black out, frozen chains or other components may prevent this from happening and leave your gates locked shut. Plus, not every gate has a functioning back-up power supply; you should check to see if your gates have one and leave them open anyway. Emergency vehicles may also need access, and you’ll want to be sure they can enter without any problems. Yet another reason to leave gates open during this weather is simply because if your parking lot is not completely de-iced, there is a high probability someone will hit your gate and render it completely disabled. Last year, there were several reports of this type of accident occurring across Dallas/Fort Worth area, and this year will not be an exception.

Frozen Irrigation Lines, Pool Lines, Plumbing Lines, and Fire Sprinklers

Be sure all your irrigation systems are drained and shut off prior to the inclement weather or you may find yourself with thousands of dollars in repair bills. In addition, a burst pipe in an active system could exacerbate the ice problem in the community while causing water damage. Your association or Dallas HOA management company should hire a vendor to drip all the association maintained plumbing, insulate any exposed pipes, and to ensure that pool water levels are proper and water is circulating through the pumps. Pool pumps should remain on during the winter weather to prevent pipe freezing.

Fire sprinklers are a particularly problematic area as they cannot be drained, unless the Fire Marshall says otherwise, and they cannot and should not be deactivated in any way. While some may have antifreeze in the lines, the density levels of the water and anti-freeze are different, and settling over time can leave the pipes prone to freezing since the compound is not circulating. This is where it becomes very important to notify all residents to keep their heat on and not to let any unit dip below 40 degrees. Vacant units can pose a challenge and these may be without heat or power and leave sprinklers prone to freezing. Owners of these vacant units should be contacted and informed in writing of their obligation to maintain the temperature in those units, even if it means they must hire someone to “house sit” or to visit and turn on the heat. The same risk applies to the interior plumbing, which they should be instructed to drip. If no one can be reached, you should contact your association’s attorney to explore whether this issue represents an imminent hazard, and what solutions can be explored to force compliance. It is not always obvious which pipes or plumbing belong to the association, so have a Dallas HOA management company or Dallas condominium management company review your documents to determine ownership.

Another way of preparing for the weather involves locating and ensuring the functionality of cut-off valves for each building. In the event of a break, you’ll want to be able to make the repair without depriving the entire community of water for the duration of the repair time. Also keep in mind that since repair crews are backed up during this kind of weather, this could be a prolonged period of time. Be mindful the fact that sometimes septic lines can freeze if they have a constant flow of water into them. Do not use salt or antifreeze in your plumbing as this could create other problems, either due to toxicity or possibly causing damage to plumbing. Also, do not attempt to unfreeze the lines by pouring water down them. An expert should be consulted on septic issues.

Consult with your Dallas HOA Management Company or Dallas Condominium Management Company with more tips on preparing for this winter season. Also, make sure to review the various aspects of Texas Condo Law (The Uniform Condominium Act) applicable to winterization of condominium associations.