And now the lights go poof
Finally, just as we get a whiff of spring air, the roof-cleaning mania is in full swing. None too late for some, but it still leaves me wondering at what point a building administrator stops waiting for a sign from a neighbour and just goes and does the job. Do we need a record to be broken for the common sense gene to kick in?
Not to fault my employer; they’ve been aware of the weight of snow for years, but others are less perspicacious. In Montreal, there are certain schools that will not open this week (shortage of snow removal experts). Here, a local CEGEP has decided to close today, after noting that some doors were no longer able to swing free of the frame, and fluorescent lamps were breaking (flexible lamps are not yet available on the market).
My own roof is holding up just fine; I have a bi-pitched roof, and the low grade has no accumulation. The rear side, with a slope that belies its cover, is holding a mass that will probably avalanche any time now. Gravity is my friend. I’ve heard no creaks or whispers from the trusses, and the interior ceiling is still planar.
If we get a sudden rain run, all bets are off. The increased weight could make for interesting times throughout the province. Let’s hear it for “maple sugar weather” with its daytime warming and then a return to cool (rigidity) at night, until such time as the risk is done with.
I’m just trying to imagine my reaction if the lamps in my office started to shatter. At least we’d reduce the footcandles (or its metric equivalent) that I deal with on a day-to-day basis.
