Wintertime. It’s the happiest season and one of the most profitable, for sure. But if you are not taking care of your electric signage, you could end up feeling like you received nothing but coal. There is a lot of things that threaten your signage, such as plowed snow, ice, sleet, and also the general traffic of people coming in and out of your store. Keeping your commercial signage is essential in the winter since nature is going to throw a lot at it.
So, how do you service your electric sign before the worst of winter arrives? Tupp Signs has put together some tips to help you winterize your business signage to save time, money, and minimize damage.
How Winter Affects Your Outdoor Signage
Winter is full of hazards that affect people and signs alike. Some of the negative effects include:
- Extremely cold temperatures
- Falling ice, hail, and wet snow
- High winds
- Power surges
- Reduced visibility
These can compound when impacting your sign. For example, the cold temperatures could cause the electrical elements to malfunction, reducing the visibility of your sign. Snow can gather on the edges of the sign, and the freeze-thaw cycle may cause damages. To prevent these things from happening, winterize your sign.
Steps to Winterizing an Electric Sign
Now, here is what you have been waiting for: the tips that will help you better protect your electric signage throughout the coldest months of the year.
Clean Your Sign Before Winter
The first thing you should do is clean the sign. During the winter months, your sign will need to combat reduced visibility from falling snow and fog, so any excess grime on the front of it is not going to do your business any good. Cleaning your light also helps you increase light output, which is cost-effective.
Most signage will come with instructions from the manufacturer about dealing with dirt and dust, cobwebs, insects, and so on. You should know that some surface cleaners are a no-go. Some solutions will damage the materials on the sign or chip away at the paint, so make sure you are using a cleaner designed for cleaning signage.
When in doubt, get in touch with a local business sign company and ask what to use.
Refresh Your Sign
As you clean your signage, you may notice that there are a few cracks on the surface, or that the sun has caused some fading, or that there are chips in the paint. Wintertime is only to accelerate such deterioration—making touch-ups even more expensive. Rather than leaving your signs to worsen, why not fix them now?
You can easily deal with chipping and cracking on your own by applying a coat of weatherproof sealant to the exterior. That will protect your sign from moisture.
Speaking of condensation, have you noticed any building up within the sign? Maybe there is some water in the bottom of the sign? That is not a good sign, but it can be easily taken care of. Simply reseal the sign. Ignoring condensation could lead to the water freezing, thawing, and expanding any cracks within the sign, which could lead to unfixable damages.
Replace Any Burned Out Bulbs
With daylight vanishing in the blink of an eye, having a sign with burned out or flickering bulbs is not helping you. You want your sign illuminated completely so that customers can find you. Although changing out bulbs is as easy as climbing a ladder with some tools, doing so in the wintertime can be dangerous. Mounting a ladder will be difficult if it is sliding all around, and you will need to work with breakable bulbs and other tools. Change out your bulbs in autumn to avoid slipping, sliding, and frozen fingers.
Protect Electric Signs From Surges
Slick streets mean more accidents on the road, and stronger winds can cause fallen branches. In the winter, power lines are much more often, too. This increases the risk of power surges that could knock out unsuspecting and neglected signage.
Make sure your electrical signs are grounded properly and have adequate surge protection before the worst of winter arrives.
Have The Signage Inspected From Top to Bottom
There are a number of reasons to have your sign inspected throughout the year, but it becomes more important in the winter. Weather is unpredictable, and you never know what is going to happen to your outdoor signage. That is why you need to ensure that your sign can withstand any kind of weather. Have a sign company send out a professional to inspect your sign to make sure that the fittings are in good condition, that wire connections are not compromised, and that any rusted components can be replaced.
Final Thoughts
Even if winters have been mild the past couple of years in your area, that does not mean you can let down your guard. Since your business signage is a major investment, take care of it before winter. That way, you have less to worry about, and you can focus on making the most out of the holiday season.
Looking for signage professionals who can inspect your signs and give you more tips on maintenance? Get in touch with the team at Tupp Signs today. We are more than happy to service your sign before the snow hits the ground.