Get your oast cowls ready for the year ahead

1 Check the paint

There is nothing nicer than a freshly painted bright white oast cowl. If yours is looking weatherbeaten and drab then it might be time for a refresh. This is especially important if the paint is starting to peel off. A repaint is not just about aesthetics, it can prevent costly repairs down the line. If you would like to know more about how we clean a cowl, take a look at our oast cowl cleaning tips on our website for some valuable insights.

2 Listen out for strange squeaking sounds

Spend a little time listening to your oast cowl for any odd noises. If you hear any high-pitched squeaking, that’s your oast cowl crying out for some attention! Jokes aside, this can be a sign of something more serious so give us a call and we will come and take a look for you.

3 listen for banging noises

Banging is another sound of an oast cowl in despair. A banging noise should never be ignored. This must be checked as it could be damaging to the whole roof and the oast cowl. Basically, if it doesn’t sound normal then it should not be ignored.

4 Check for holes

Get up close and personal with your oast cowl and see if you can spot anything that doesn’t look quite right. If you see any holes, then it might be time to get the cowls down for a refurbishment as they can potentially become dangerous. Don’t be daunted by the thought of taking the past cowl off, it is much simpler to refurb them once they are off the roof and as with most things prevention is always better than a cure (especially for your wallet!)

5 Check that the cowl is turning

An oast cowl needs to turn, that’s why it is there, so an oast cowl that is refusing to do a turn might be trying to tell you something. If you notice that your oast cowl is not moving, or not turning as and when you would expect, then it is probably time to get us up there to figure out what is going on and to free it. This is definitely something you should tackle sooner rather than later as if the oast cowl stops turning you may find that you start to get water in your home. Don’t wait until it’s too late.

Article courtesy of Dude & Arnette
www.dudeandarnette.co.uk