Southern California’s severe drought will eventually bring a bit of chaos that few outside the roofing trade would have ever predicted. The general idea for most people is if I don’t see a leak, I don’t have a leak. Does no rain mean no roof leaks?
On the west coast we’re experiencing a severe drought, which of course means no rain. No rain means no one’s roof is going to leak but what you may not realize is that we’re headed for a real “Armageddon of Leaks” where something like 5 to 10 times the normal amount of leaks are likely to occur. When all the roof leaks happen at the same time the roofing industry is not going to be able to handle them in a timely manner.
By timely manner we mean – get ready to wait months. Back in 2005-2006 when we had a particularly wet winter, roofers were backed up six months and people calling in for estimates were getting answering machines with messages that broadcast “Sorry, we’re not taking new clients until further notice.”
The reason why is remarkably simple. First, let’s bear in mind that a leak exists whether there is rain or not. The rain simply shows you where it is. Then ask: What causes roof leaks? Well, all sorts of things can but really. The primary ingredient to roof wear and tear is the good ole sun. And on the west coast, Los Angeles in particular, we have lots of sun, lots of older homes, and years with no appreciable rain.
Most leaks are not going to rear their heads in a minor rain. Most leaks take a good steady rain to actually show up and this can be for many reasons. One thing, for example, that prevents a leak from actually showing up is insulation in the attic, which may soak it up.
When Los Angeles gets its first real, serious rain, there is going to be a flood of phone calls the likes of which we’ve never seen. Thousands, upon thousands of people are going to call all at once, and the roofing industry is not going to be able to handle it. Roofers are not the power company – an industry that can pull resources from other states even.
So it’s important to get your roof checked now.
At J and J Roofing, for $155.00 we will inspect your roofing system and do minor maintenance. Or, if there is too much work to do within the scope of a simple roof check-up (which happens often), we’ll just do a free estimate and send it to you – you’ll owe us nothing and there’s no obligation.
Make sure that the next decent rain is not when you discover that your roof leaks!