05 May What’s the impact of extreme weather on your roof?
We cannot observe our roofs on a daily basis; sometimes it has been years since the last time someone climbed over our roofs and inspected their condition. This hinders our ability to assess whether they need any repairs – repairs that could range from a small patch to the replacement of an entire roof membrane. Unfortunately, not knowing the condition of our roofs can lead to big trouble when severe weather (like the heavy rains experienced last Friday all over South East Queensland, or the April storms in Sydney) comes in our way.
The rain event that hit Brisbane on the 1st May is a good example of why at R&BS we always recommend our clients to perform preventative maintenance while the weather is sunny and dry. With continuous rain, the leaks start showing up and they can deeply affect our offices, production plants, car parks and all other facilities. This graphic shows the number of enquiries received at R&BS throughout the week of 26th April – 4th May.
Behaviour of enquiries during severe weather events
It is not difficult to see that the extreme weather leads to a huge spike on the number of enquiries from desperate people trying to get someone in to fix the leaks in their properties.
Unfortunately, by the time this happens, roofing companies are so busy that lead times are extended and roofing emergencies cannot be handled as fast as everyone would wish.
It is very hard to receive calls from worried business owners and property managers who have been looking everywhere for someone to stop their leaks on critical places like servers or electrical plants, but no one is available to help them at the time.
Photo – Queensland Fire and Emergency Services
For this reason, we cannot emphasise enough on the need for managers to take a proactive approach to their roof’s maintenance.
Because corrosion and damage is not always evident, it is highly recommended to call in a reputable company that can identify any obvious and hidden problems that could lead to major costs in the short term.
We are all hoping that the weather will get milder in the upcoming months, but Australia has shown us several times that we must be prepared for anything – and it is up to us to attend this call of nature, or to deal with the consequences.