4 Top Tips if a Storm Is Heading Your Way

What should you do around the house when a storm is forecast?

There are four things worth doing before severe weather arrives, and none of them takes long: walk the yard and cut back anything that could come down, clear the gutters and check the downpipes for cracks, put together or restock an emergency kit, and give your pets somewhere safe to settle. Australian storms bring both heavy rain and damaging wind, and the damage they do to a house is almost always water getting in somewhere it normally would not.

The half hour you spend on gutters is the highest-value half hour of the four. A blocked gutter turns an ordinary downpour into water pouring over the fascia and down the wall, and a cracked downpipe does the same thing more quietly.

1. Scout your outdoors

Take 10 to 15 minutes to look properly around the house and yard. Storms bring dangerous winds as well as rain, and wind brings down branches and sometimes whole trees. Look for branches overhanging your carport or sitting close to the house, and cut them back before the storm arrives. It is a small job now and a large one afterwards.

2. Clean out the gutters and check the pipes

Debris in gutters is what clogs downpipes during a storm. Getting the ladder out and clearing the gutters keeps the downpipes flowing, and while you are up there you can check the gutters and downpipes for cracks.

If you find holes or areas of concern, Selleys Storm Sealant is the product for the job, and its advantage here is that it works on wet and dry surfaces — it will even go on in the rain, which is exactly the situation you are trying to prepare for.

Some numbers that matter when you are working against the weather. Storm has a skin time of 15 to 30 minutes and a cure rate of 2.5 to 3 mm per 24 hours at 23°C and 50% relative humidity, with a movement capability of ±20%. It forms an immediate waterproof seal, but it must not be disturbed until it has cured — approximately 48 hours. In practice that means the seal will hold water straight away, and the bond keeps getting stronger for the next two days.

Storm comes in 290 mL cartridges in grey and black. Apply it with a caulking gun, pushing the sealant into the joint or gap, and smooth it off with a spatula dipped in turpentine or white spirit within about 5 minutes.

Its limitations: Storm is not suitable for polyethylene, polypropylene or PTFE, and it is not for plugging leaks subject to pressure. It cannot be painted with solvent-based paints — if you need to paint over it, use a water-based exterior paint in two coats after the sealant has cured.

For a dry, prepared roof or gutter joint you have time to do properly, Selleys Roof & Gutter Silicone is the alternative. It is a neutral-cure 100% silicone with a 25-year guarantee against crumbling, cracking or peeling when used as directed, colour-matched to a range of roof and gutter profiles, with a service temperature range of -60°C to +150°C. Its own limitations are worth knowing: it is not paintable, it should not be applied below +5°C or above +40°C, and it is not recommended for continuous submersion or below-waterline use.

3. Check or create your emergency kit

An emergency kit is what gets you through a water leak in the middle of a downpour without calling out an emergency tradie. What belongs in it depends on where you live, but a few things earn their place almost anywhere: a quality torch, matches, drinking water, a portable power pack in case the power goes out, and Selleys Storm Waterproof Tape.

The tape stops active water leaks for at least 48 hours, which makes it a genuine emergency fix — something that buys you time until a permanent repair can be made, not something that replaces one.

Read the tape's limitations before you rely on it. It is not suitable for PTFE or some rubbers. It is not suitable for porous substrates, glass, or glazed ceramic in wet conditions. It is not for leaks subject to pressure, permanent water immersion or underwater applications. The waterproof seal is temporary — at least 48 hours. It is not suitable for repairing large holes, rips, or for use on seams. It must not be used to repair safety devices or in safety-critical applications. Clean up any residue with mineral turpentine.

That list is long, but the summary is short: the tape is for stopping a drip through a small hole for a couple of days, on a clean non-porous surface, and nothing more.

4. Create a safe environment for your pets

Animals are often unsettled before wild weather arrives. Make sure they have somewhere safe and secure to settle. The RSPCA publishes more detailed guidance on preparing pets for storms.

The storm has passed — now what?

If you find storm damage afterwards, the priority is stopping leaks quickly before water works its way into ceilings and wall cavities. Leaking roofs, gutters and skylights can be sealed with Storm Sealant, which delivers a waterproof seal on building materials wet or dry, indoors or outdoors, and can be applied in the rain.

For flashings around chimneys, skylights, exhaust fans and other roof penetrations, Roof & Gutter Silicone is the recommended product — caulk it between the flashing and the roof, push it firmly into place, and tape or hold it until it is firm enough not to lift. For cracked or broken roof tiles, Storm Sealant will seal cracks and bond broken pieces back together.

The full sequence is set out in emergency roofing repairs.

Safety: preparing in a hurry, at height, with solvents

The two sealants in this plan are mild. Storm and Roof & Gutter Silicone both carry Warning, with H317 (may cause an allergic skin reaction) and H319 (causes serious eye irritation). Tool the bead rather than smoothing it with a bare wet finger — H317 is sensitisation, which is permanent once acquired and built from repeated casual contact rather than one exposure.

Selleys Sealant Remover, named here for taking cured sealant off, is a different proposition. It is classified Danger, Poison Schedule S5, Dangerous Goods Class 3 (UN 1133, Packing Group II), and carries H304 may be fatal if swallowed and enters airways, H226 flammable liquid and vapour, H336 may cause drowsiness or dizziness, and H315 causes skin irritation.

H336 is the classification that matters most in this context, because of where the work is. Clearing and sealing gutters means a ladder. Drowsiness and dizziness from solvent vapour is a minor nuisance at a bench and a serious problem three metres up with a storm coming. If you are stripping old sealant from a gutter joint or a box gutter, do the stripping with your feet on the ground wherever the section can be taken down, work upwind, and do not go back up while you feel light-headed. A box gutter or a valley is an enclosed volume with poor air exchange even though it is outdoors.

H304 belongs to the emergency kit, not the ladder. Aspiration Category 1 means swallowed hydrocarbon reaching the airways can cause potentially fatal chemical pneumonitis. The tub is a beige paste that looks like filler, and tip three has you assembling a kit that gets pulled out in the dark by whoever reaches it first. Keep it in its own labelled place, out of reach of children, well away from food and water stores. If it is swallowed, do not induce vomiting — rinse the mouth, give water and get medical advice immediately.

H226 is about storage before the storm. A Packing Group II flammable liquid does not belong next to a generator, fuel cans or a barbecue bottle in the shed you are tidying in tip one.

Poisons Information Centre — 131 126 in Australia, 0800 764 766 in New Zealand.

Common questions about storm preparation

Can I seal a cracked gutter while it is raining?

Yes. Selleys Storm can be applied to wet surfaces and in the rain, and forms an immediate waterproof seal. It still needs about 48 hours undisturbed to cure fully.

How long before the sealed joint is properly cured?

Approximately 48 hours, during which it should not be disturbed. The underlying cure rate is 2.5 to 3 mm per 24 hours, so a deeper bead takes longer.

What is the difference between Storm and Roof & Gutter Silicone?

Storm is the wet-weather product — it goes on wet surfaces and in the rain. Roof & Gutter Silicone is a neutral-cure 100% silicone for prepared, dry joints, available colour-matched to roof sheet profiles and carrying a 25-year guarantee against crumbling, cracking or peeling. Roof & Gutter Silicone is not paintable; Storm can only be painted with water-based exterior paint.

Will Storm work on a plastic downpipe?

It depends on the plastic. Storm is not suitable for polyethylene, polypropylene or PTFE. It is used on PVC and Colorbond gutters.

Can I use Storm on a leaking pipe under pressure?

No. Storm is not for plugging leaks subject to pressure. Neither is Storm Waterproof Tape.

How long does Storm Waterproof Tape hold?

At least 48 hours. It is an emergency fix to buy time until a permanent repair is made, not a permanent seal.

Can I use the tape on a glass skylight in the rain?

No. It is not suitable for porous substrates, glass or glazed ceramic in wet conditions.

Can I paint over the sealant afterwards?

Storm can be painted with a water-based exterior paint — two coats, after the sealant has cured — but not with solvent-based paints. Roof & Gutter Silicone is not paintable at all; if you are painting the area, allow the paint to dry for at least 7 days before applying the sealant on top.

It is going to be a cold night — can I still seal something?

Check the application temperature. Roof & Gutter Silicone should not be applied if the ambient or substrate temperature is below +5°C or above +40°C.

How do I clean up the excess?

Smooth Storm off with a spatula dipped in turpentine or white spirit within about 5 minutes of applying. Excess Roof & Gutter Silicone comes off tools with turps; cured sealant has to be removed mechanically or with Selleys Sealant Remover.

Is there anything I should do to the gutters after the storm?

Clear them again. A storm that brings down branches also fills gutters, and the next rain event will find the same blockage.