How Cold Weather Affects Wood Fences

Who ever thought that cold weather could affect wood fences? Well, it does and actually the winter time in North Texas is the perfect time to either do some maintenance or have a professional fence company look at the homeowners fence.

At Fence Makeovers, we wanted to share some important points to look for on your own fence. These are just a few items to look for to get you started.

• Is there moisture damage?
• Temperature changes may cause cracks in the wood
• The soil could shift
• Fence points may loosen

Let’s explain the four possible problems above.

Watch for water pooling around your posts. Overtime the water does not drain away from the posts the wood gets saturated. If if doesn’t dry out it will begin the process of rotting wood.  Sometimes this is underground and you can’t see it.

In cold weather the wood doesn’t have the ability to dry out.

Because wood constantly changes with the weather, it’s hard to keep up the maintenance unless you are diligent with keeping it top of mind. Wood will expand and contract depending on the amount of moisture in the wood and ground. If the wood gets too dry from the winter weather, this is where the cracks in the wood begin to form. If neglected, small cracks turn into large cracks and before you know it fence pickets are falling off the fence.  So how do you know when it’s time to replace the fence picket(s)? Ask a professional fence company early before it becomes to costly to repair.

In North Texas the weather during the winter months fluctuates quite a bit.  Some days it’s a 70 degree swing. Better have the fence checked because cold weather affects wood and it is possible that repairing early will offer a longer lifespan.

The soil in North Texas is a clay soil that has high shrink-swell properties. This means like the wood fence it expands and contracts. Having the right balance of moisture and keeping the soil firm will help keep posts upright with the fence standing.

Cold weather may cause the ground to contract and shift the wood posts. Just as the wood may crack under changing temperature, it is possible for the soil to do the same thing.

There may be a gap between the posts concrete and the soil. This gap may go un-noticed in the summer months because of all the growth from the landscape.  Now is the time to see if this is happening. Rain may seep into those gaps and cause the soil to loosen. When the soil loosens the fence post may start the leaning process and over time if a big swift wind comes, down the fence section will go. This could be a costly situation not to mention a safety issue.

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