The most common time for a conservatory to be damaged and need repairs is undoubtedly winter, when the weather is stormier and therefore there is a greater risk of debris falling on (or hitting) the structure and causing damage.
However, there are many times in the year when your conservatory may need repairs. Sometimes that can be because of events that are not confined to winter, such as floods, but it can also be the result of some issues that become particularly acute when it is warm and sunny.
As Which? noted this spring, some of the biggest problems householders can find with conservatories arise from perennial issues and some from summer problems.
Overheating is a prime example. While some may have concerns about their conservatory being too cold in winter, it is no better if it is unbearably hot in summer.
Temperature issues can be determined by factors such as the number of windows and vents you have, as well as the kind of glass. For example, tinted glass can reduce the amount of heat getting through.
This can also help with another summer problem, that of the light being too bright. Having a lot of reflective surfaces inside the conservatory can make this even worse. But, once again, tinted glass can help, as can having a coating placed on the existing glass to cut out some of the light.
If heat can be tackled by better ventilation and reducing light, there are some things nobody can plan for. Because people are outdoors more in summer, there is an increased chance of folk being just outside the conservatory in the garden, be it gardening, relaxing or even having a party.
This can, on occasion, lead to accidents that may lead to damage, such as carelessness with tools or even a barbecue accident that leads to fire damage.
Another potential hazard comes from thunderstorms. This is the one kind of storm more likely to happen in summer because of the way heat and humidity build up to produce electrical storms. This is why they are most common (and severe) in the tropics, but we will all have seen some pretty grand storms here in the south of England.
Unless your house is on top of a hill, you are unlikely to be hit directly, but a nearby strike that dislodges masonry or a tree branch can lead to falling debris that could cause damage. It may be a consequence of a warmer climate that we get more thunderstorms as time goes on.
In the meantime, the fact remains that damage to conservatories from floods, fires, domestic accidents, burglaries and vandalism can happen at any time of year.
Apart from all that, it may be there are areas of more minor damage to your conservatory that you haven’t checked much, if at all, these last few months, because you only spend a lot of time in there in the summer. If you now find there are problems, this is still a good time to get them fixed, so that everything is in good shape for the warmest season of the year.