27 Apr

Are You Ready for a Roofing Emergency?

Category: Roof Plumber Melbourne

Home emergencies can happen at any time or anywhere. A pipe may burst. A casserole might catch fire. Or the electricity may fail.

But these emergencies don’t have to catch you off guard. When you plan and prepare for accidents, you can respond quickly to minimise the damage. And you can go to bed confidently each night knowing that you don’t have to act like a helpless victim.

So if your roof were to collapse or if a falling tree limb were to crash into your home, would you know what to do?

To help you prepare for this home emergency, follow these simple steps.

Save Your Contractor’s Number to Your Mobile

Repairing a damaged roof or replacing an entire roof is no small task, and you don’t want call in another contractor several weeks (or months) later to repair problems the previous contractor caused.

To avoid the hassle and heartache, you should never call the first roofing company you see during an emergency. Instead, you want to take your time before the disaster and pick a business you can trust based on referrals and customer reviews.

So do a little research now, and save the company phone number to your contact list. When the worst happens, you can call the professionals in just a few seconds.

Review Your Insurance Policy

A new roof is a big investment, one that would make many homeowners faint if they had to pay everything out of pocket. Fortunately, many home insurance policies will cover roof repair, but only if your situation meets certain conditions.

For example, some policies cover damages caused by natural disasters or accidents. However, other policies may only cover damages caused by specific disasters, such as lightning or hail damage. Or some companies may only provide partial reimbursement if the roof has aged less than 10 years.

When you read up on your insurance policy, you’ll know precisely what type of emergency your company covers, and you’ll know whether you should purchase additional insurance to cover likely events.

Know How to Shut Off Water and Electricity

Unlike small leaks and a few missing shingles, a roofing emergency often involves destruction on a large scale. Your home’s supporting beams and timbers may take a hit, and you can bet that your water and electricity may sustain some damage as well.

As burst pipes and sparking cables only add to the chaos and put your family at risk for injury, learn how to shut off these systems for emergency purposes.

Though locations vary, you can likely find your water supply valve outside in the front of your yard, almost to the street. You can turn the handle or lever clockwise to temporarily shut off the water.

To turn off electricity to your house, locate your home’s electrical panel. Most panels feature a primary switch that you can flip quickly, allowing you to turn off electricity throughout the entire house. If the damage only occurred in a small section of the house, you can use the individual circuit breakers to turn off power to the affected area.

Don’t Forget to Maintain and Repair Your Roof

The above steps can help you prepare for a roofing emergency. But remember that prevention plays a key role in preparation.

When you regularly hire professional for services like roof repairs or metal roofing installation, you know that your roof will have the strength to withstand whatever life throws your way. And through frequent professional inspections, you’ll find about small issues before they have the chance to become bigger problems.

For more advice on roofing and maintenance, call O’Boyles on 03 9998 2171