“Termites!”
That’s one word you never want to hear when it comes to your home.
We’ve talked before about what sort of unwelcome guests may be staying in your roof rent-free. Each of these squatters has the potential to cause problems with your roof, and may necessitate calling an expert for metal roof repairs in Melbourne.
However, none are quite as damaging as termite infestation.
Today, our metal roofing experts explain the essential signs of a termite infestation, and what you need to look out for!
Replace an old and worn roof with sleek new metal roofing!
Thinking about new metal roof replacement in Melbourne?
Contact our Masterful team for a no-obligation inspection. We’ll get up onto your roof and inspect your supporting structures, flashings, gutters, and overall roof condition.
From there, we’ll provide a detailed analysis to help you understand whether repairs may be sufficient or whether you’ll be better off in the long run with complete replacement.
Contact us now or give us a call on 1300 576 075.
What is the definition of termite infestation?
An infestation refers to a colony of termites who have established their place in the wooden structures of a roof. Termites feast on wood and cellulose material, and, particularly in their large numbers, can quickly cause significant damage.
Termites can impact the structural integrity of your roof’s support system, making it susceptible to a range of problems including leaks. Early detection is crucial.
Signs of termite infestation
Termites are quite hard to detect – there’s a reason we in the business refer to them as silent destroyers.
In many cases, you’ll only notice the signs of a termite infestation once the damage is already done!
- Discolouration
- Sagging roof
- Ceiling damage
- Tiny wood pellets
- Wood grains and holes
Thankfully however, there are also a couple of early signs that you can use to identify termites before it gets that bad.
Clicking sounds
Say you hear quiet clicking sounds coming from your ceiling.
As you’ve probably guessed, this is a sign of termites!
For starters, worker termites – the ones that do the actual eating of wood – are noisy eaters.
What’s more, vibrations are one of the ways in which termites communicate. For example, soldier termites communicate by banging on wood when danger approaches.
Flying termites
One of the first signs of a termite infestation? Loose termites flying around the house.
Like ants, termites work on a caste system. You have workers, soldiers, and at the top, you have the queen and other flying termites who are responsible for reproduction.
Once a hive is established, reproductive termites (who can fly) branch out in search of mates to establish their own colonies.
Needless to say, if you notice winged termites flying around the house, that’s a bad sign – not only could there be a colony in your house large enough to produce winged termites, but there’s the risk of further colonies popping up.
Hollow-sounding wood
So you’re moving a sofa into a new room (pivot!) and you accidentally brush against a wooden doorframe. Only, this time the sound that the wood makes sounds suspiciously… hollow?
If so, you may have termites in your house.
That’s because termites consume wood from the inside-out, digging tunnels (known as galleries) throughout pieces of wood. Eventually, they hollow out the wood.
Not only does this weaken the wood, but this can also cause it to warp and bend in weird ways.
If you notice these popping up in wooden parts of your house, you may have a termite infestation – as they say, knock on wood!
What to do when you have a termite infestation?
Call a pest controller
Once you’ve identified termite infestation (hopefully our list above has helped), the first thing to do is to locate its source.
This is a job best left to the pros. Using a range of specialist techniques and tools, your pest controller or exterminator can track down the exact location of the hive (or hives!)
Once the infestation has been located, they’ll help you…
Assess the extent of the damage
Finding the infestation is step one – the next is to assess all the damage done by termites, as this will influence the extent of repairs needed.
While an exterminator can eliminate the hive for you, there isn’t much they can do to fix extensive damage in wooden areas of your ceiling such as joists, beams and frames.
To fix these requires another professional.
Protect your home from re-infestation
Many homeowners believe that once termites have been treated, an infestation will never happen again.
Sadly, re-infestation can happen anytime.
Termites are attracted to roofs for a number of reasons:
- It’s warm and insulated
- It’s sheltered
- There’s plenty of food
That’s why you need to be always on the lookout for any termite infestation, and address and fix any issues by calling us for roof repairs in Melbourne.
Termites and metal roofing
We know what you’re thinking: what if your roof is metal? Do you still need to worry about termite infestation?
It can be confusing, so our metal roofing experts are here to explain.
If your house has a wooden frame, then there’s a risk of termites. Thankfully, metal roofing installation can reduce this risk considerably.
For starters, metal roofs are better sealed than tiled ones. Underneath each tile is a small gap, which can provide a pathway inside for unwelcome guests like termites.
By contrast, metal roofing offers fewer ingress points. New metal roofing sheets are laid on top of each other, leaving no gap for termites to enter. Standing seam roofs eliminate gaps altogether!
Combine that with sarking and thorough sealing, and new metal roofing is the go-to- choice for termite-proof roofing.
Of course, just because it’s considerably more resistant to termites doesn’t mean that metal roofing is immune to other problems.
Just like any other roof, metal roofing may require basic maintenance to keep it looking and performing at its best.
Luckily, Watermaster Roofing can help with that!
Contact our Masterful metal roofing team for roof repairs in Melbourne
Make your roof last for years to come
Whether you need an inspection of your newly purchased house’s roof or want your previous roof replaced due to termite infestation, Watermaster Roofing is the team to call.
Beautiful and functional metal roofing in Melbourne is our specialty.
If you want a roof that’s strong, low-maintenance and which will have an immediate impact on your property value, metal roofing (and our Masterful metal roofing team) should be your first port of call.
Book an on-site inspection today and let us assess and diagnose the current state of your roof – contact us on 1300 576 075 to tell us any roofing issues that you have here.