Winnipeg contractors extra busy due to wet weather

Rain in recent weeks has meant a busy spring for many plumbing and roofing contractors in Winnipeg.

In May alone, Environment and Climate Change Canada said Winnipeg recorded about 114 mm of precipitation, which is about double what the city typically sees during that month.

Dallas Friesen owns Lynn’s Plumbing, Heating and Cooling. With one rain event after another, they’ve been working around the clock to prevent or mitigate emergencies.

“This spring is very unique with not a lot of snow over the winter, but a lot of rain back to back. So the ground and the groundwater is coming into your sewer systems faster than ever, keeping our team busier than ever,” Friesen said.

With air conditioning season just around the corner, the company is booking about a day out for plumbing calls, and working on that backlog to make sure customers don’t have a long wait to get their cooling system going.

“We are anticipating the first week of 25 or above. Then we’re going to get flooded with 40 to 50 calls a day and the overtime and all the extra hours that our guys have to work hard to take on, we’ll be there,” Friesen said.

On the recent rain-heavy days, Transcona Roofing says it’s been getting about 50 to 70 calls a day from new customers about leaks.

“It’s delayed projects somewhat. Which means we have to reach out to our client, let them know we’re a little late getting to the project site,” said project manager, Rhys Fraser.

According to Fraser, Winnipeg weather is typically unpredictable, but this year more than ever.

“We certainly went through a phase where 20 degrees one day, five degrees the next day. So that fluctuation has a lot of impact on the roofing systems, with some shrinkage and expansion. So we are getting calls of leaks quite frequently.”

He says the amount of rainfall, plus temperature changes, as well as new construction citywide, has kept them busy.

On days when it’s not safe for staff to get up on a roof, Fraser said they’re working hard to keep workers around.

“We strive to keep our employees happy, and getting the hours that they need to to survive and have a nice life. So what we try to do is, is, save certain tasks, on our roof systems that can be done during the rain, such as moving rock on a large roof system or moving material, receiving material, things like that.”

That’s good news if you’re a homeowner who’s looking to get some repairs done or projects started. Whether it’s plumbing and cooling, or roofing, both companies we spoke to don’t anticipate supply chain issues to be a problem this year like they have the past couple of years.

At Lynn’s Plumbing, Heating and Cooling, they’re ready to go.

“We are now fully stocked, fully prepared, with all material we need. We are not worried about, shortage of equipment or certain AC products. So if you call us today, we can have it installed tomorrow.”

It’s much of the same story over at Transcona Roofing.

“I don’t foresee too many issues. We still want to be cognizant of when we’re ordering the product, giving ourselves a good month. Look ahead so we know we get it here in time.”