Strong Winds and Your Roof — What to Look out for After a Storm
Although the weather seems in two minds whether summer’s over or not, it’s certain that autumn’s on its way. And that means storms. Your roof is likely to take the brunt of this autumn’s storms, as it does with all extreme weather. But what does that really mean? What should you look out for after a storm? Some signs may be roof leaks or gutter damage.
Checking Your Roof from Outside
You should check your roof as a matter of course at least twice a year, but it’s also vital to check it as soon as possible after a storm or any other type of extreme weather. If your roof or guttering has been damaged you could have a roof leaks inside causing damage, or water that should have gone down the downpipes seeping into the foundations.
Ideally, the best way of examining your roof is to get up a ladder and look from close quarters — although it’s important not to actually get onto the roof itself unless you’re trained. If you don’t have the right equipment, however, or you’re unsure on ladders, you can look from ground level through binoculars.
What you’re mainly looking out for is cracked or missing tiles or slates, or else damaged flashing around chimney stacks or similar structures. Also, while you’re about it, you can check for mould or moss on the roof, although this is unlikely to be a new issue after a storm.
If you have a flat roof, you’ll be checking for tears in the membrane. You may be tempted to get up onto a flat roof, but remember that it’s only safe to do so if you know for a fact that it’s strong enough to take footfall. By no means all roofs are.
Checking Your Guttering and Downpipes
Your guttering and downpipes are vital in taking run-off water safely from the roof into the drains. If they’re faulty, the run-off could cause damage to the walls or even to the foundations. As well as cracks, a storm, especially in autumn, can clog up guttering with leaves, dirt or twigs.
Signs to look out for include streaks down the walls and water pooling on the ground beside the building. If you find either, it’s likely the guttering straight above is either blocked or damaged.
Checking from Inside
The effects of leaking roofs can show up from the inside, too. Look out for damp stains or mould on walls and ceilings in the upper part of the building as evidence of a leak.
Better still is to catch the leak before any damage is done. If you go up into the roof space during the day, with no artificial light on, you should be able to see pinpricks of light if there are cracked or missing tiles.
Of course, detecting damage is no good if you don’t get it fixed promptly. Give us a call to find out what we can do for you.
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