While the saying ‘fix the roof while the sun shines’ may be popular, some of the most important maintenance just won’t wait until the days are long and warm. Often what is needed is fast and decisive action to deal with the problem now before matters get worse.
Examples of this include skylight repair or any other form of glass damage. In these cases, the consequences of allowing lots of cold air, rain, snow and wind-blown debris into what should be a dry conservatory interior can be pretty severe, ranging from the disruption of the microclimate you may be nurturing plants in through to the winter to getting furniture wet.
Many conservatories across the UK will have suffered from the recent severe weather. There have been no fewer than eight named storms recorded by the Met Office over the autumn and winter so far.
Indeed, the Christmas and New Year period was particularly grim, with Storm Gerrit on December 27th and 28th and Storm Henk on January 2nd providing a mix of dire weather. Apart from a lot of flooding, severe structural damage included a tornado that ripped the roofs of homes in the town of Stalybridge near Manchester.
Some of these may have flooded conservatories in low-lying areas, but the worst damage that can happen is when falling trees or flying debris strike it, shattering glass and potentially causing further structural damage.
If such damage has occurred, the sooner it is tackled the better. Broken glass poses a danger and leaving a damaged conservatory open to the elements poses both short and long-term risks, including the potential for mould to flourish and for wildlife to enter, adding to the mess.
With plenty of winter left to go, there may be more storms, so if there has been some damage, this could leave your conservatory weakened and less able to withstand the next very windy day.
Suffice to say, storms Isha, Jocelyn and Kathleen could be on the way before long, threatening to batter homes and conservatories once again. That is all the more reason to get any damage that has already happened fixed, so that it is in the best possible shape to handle what comes next.
After the wind and the rain have come snow and sub-zero temperatures. These can also cause plenty of damage, as any cracks or weaknesses that water can seep into can be widened by the process of freeze-thaw.
This is a natural process that shapes landscapes and releases mineral nutrients to help feed plants, but it’s bad news for windows. It means small cracks and chips can widen and shatter windows.
With any plants you normally keep in mild temperatures in the conservatory at risk of being killed by the very cold conditions, even draughts and gaps that are not being widened by ice can produce a huge problem.
Put together, the challenges of winter weather and the impact of the damage it can cause give ample reasons for early action to fix any problems, ensuring your conservatory is in the best possible shape when the warmer and calmer days of spring arrive.