For many Sydneysiders, summer is our favourite season of the year, but we should also be thinking about storm preparation. The Beaches fill up with excited sunseekers, and the hot, often clear weather is perfect for showing off our sparkling harbour and stunning cityscape.
However, with the hot, humid weather often comes tumultuous storms. As the walls of grey roll over the city, damaging winds, heavy rain and hailstones pummel us, sometimes only briefly, but sometimes night after night for a whole week as we saw in November.
The forecast is for damage
With this extreme weather comes the possibility of roof leaks, drain blockages and flooding.
Sometimes problems are unavoidable, however by making sure all your gutters are kept clean of leaves and debris and installing gutter guard in heavily treed areas you can reduce the likelihood of running into trouble. Gutterguard can also potentially reduce the frequency your gutters need to be cleaned from once every 6 weeks to once every five to ten years.
How to stormproof your place
Here are a few tips on what to look out for to prevent small problems becoming big ones during heavy rain and storm events:
- Keep an eye on internal ceilings for any discolouration or leaking from the ceiling.
- Check that gutters aren't overflowing or leaking.
- Check to see that any grate drains in footpaths and driveways are free-flowing and are not full of water.
- Check all downpipes to see that water isn't spurting out from the bottom or top of the pipe.
Poor stormwater systems attract termites, and can result in rotting timbers, rotting floorjoists and fascias and rising damp.
The perfectly designed stormwater system should carry away all water from the roof and the ground, remove it from the property and deposit it into the stormwater main.
If you notice any signs of trouble it is advised you give STS plumbing a call as soon as possible.
