The damage done by storm Ciaran is now being assessed, with the high winds having moved onto the continent after battering parts of the UK, especially in the south. The Channel Islands were hit hardest, with Jersey being struck by a Tornado.
While damage will have ranged from floods to fallen trees, many a home and conservatory will have taken a pasting. This may have come directly from the near hurricane-force winds, which can cause weaker structures to collapse. But damage can also be done by flying debris and falling tree branches.
In such circumstances, do not be surprised if you find your conservatory roof is leaking.
Even if your conservatory has not been affected this time, autumn is a common time for storms and that means there could be several occasions when householders will have to inspect for damage after the event. Ciaran has followed the damaging storm Babet in mid-October and late September’s Storm Agnes.
Indeed, the Met Office Storm Centre has prepared a whole alphabet of names for the storms expected to arrive over the autumn and winter of 2023-24. Stand by for the arrival of Debi, Elin and Fergus soon.
If you have a roof leak, that could be for various reasons. A glass panel might have been loosened, a seal might have broken, allowing water in when it rains, or there may be a crack caused by fallen debris.
Not getting it dealt with at an early stage means there is a danger that matters will only get worse. Not only will the inside of the conservatory get wet every time it rains, but each successive spell of bad weather could make it worse.
That means something loosened in one storm may break off entirely next time. Clogged gutters will get more full of leaves and could rupture. A crack could increase in size. Indeed, in the latter case, this will happen when winter comes and the weather drops to around freezing point, which will turn a small fissure into a big one and then a fracture.
Of course, with Christmas coming you may feel like this is not a priority if you can get away with it. After all, you could be busy as the festive season approaches and not be keen to spend any money on fixing a conservatory leak when there are presents and turkeys to buy. But that would be a false economy because allowing things to get worse will cost you more.
By contrast, if you get the work done, you will do more than just stop an unpleasant leak that stops you from using your conservatory in winter. You will avoid matters getting worse but also have the problem resolved so well that all will be good as new, ensuring it is more resilient when the next storm arrives.
That way, damage from Debi won’t be followed by extra from Elin and fracture from Fergus. Instead, your conservatory will be secure to handle whatever the weather throws at it and in good shape when better conditions come in the spring.