After a storm, do five checks before running a skylight cleaning robot: scan the glass for cracks and impact chips, clear grit and debris from the lane, inspect the frame seals, test suction on a dry sample pane, and confirm water quality. Skipping these turns trapped sand into a grinding paste that scratches glass, and a hairline crack into a failed panel under load.
Storm cleaning is different from routine cleaning. The roof has changed, and the robot does not know that.
Why is post-storm cleaning riskier?
Wind-driven sand and gravel land on the glass and stay there. A brush roller that meets a trapped grain of quartz presses it into the surface, leaving a permanent score. On coated glass, that score is a visible defect and an insurance question.
Storms also stress the building. Panels flex, sealant cracks, and drainage paths block. Cleaning a roof whose seals have failed pushes water into places it should not go.
What are the five checks?
- Glass inspection: look for chips, cracks, and stars, especially near fixings.
- Debris sweep: remove grit, twigs, and gravel by hand before any robot pass.
- Seal check: confirm frame seals and gaskets are intact and drainage is clear.
- Suction test: run a short dry pass on a clean pane and watch the vacuum gauge.
- Water check: confirm the source is clear of silt stirred up by the storm.
Do them in order. There is no point testing suction on a lane that still has gravel on it, because the test itself causes the damage.
What does a bad seal or suction reading look like?
| Symptom | Likely cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Slow vacuum build | Clogged filter or worn cup | Clean filter, replace cup |
| Frequent re-seat alarms | Wet or dusty glass | Dry pass first |
| Water pooling under frame | Blocked drainage | Stop, clear drains |
| Visible haze after dry pass | Fine silt residue | Filter water, wet pass |
The vacuum gauge is your best early warning. If recharge time has risen by more than 20 percent versus the last clean, something is leaking or clogging. Log it.
Should you clean immediately after a storm?
Not immediately. Wait for the roof to dry and for a visual inspection to clear. Cleaning wet, debris-covered glass is the worst combination. Some sites add one extra post-storm clean to their annual plan; that is reasonable in coastal or desert regions where storm soiling is heavier. In temperate areas, the normal schedule catches up fine.
One specific caution: after a hailstorm, never assume the glass is fine because it looks clear from the floor. Hail leaves microscopic impact damage that can propagate under a robot’s concentrated load. Inspect from above, ideally with a technician walking the frame.
Who should postpone robot cleaning entirely?
Sites with known panel damage, ongoing leaks, or unverified structural capacity after a severe event. If an engineer has not cleared the roof, no machine belongs on it. For unusually heavy debris fields, bring in a crew for one manual clear-out, then resume robot cycles. That mirrors the hybrid approach in our crew-versus-robot comparison. For inspection templates and seasonal planning, reach the Lingdu Intelligence team.
Key Takeaways
- Post-storm grit becomes a grinding paste that scratches coated glass under a brush.
- Run five checks in order: glass, debris, seals, suction, water quality.
- Vacuum recharge time rising over 20 percent signals a leak or clog.
- Wait for the roof to dry before cleaning, and never assume hail damage is invisible.
- Sites with unverified structural capacity after a severe storm should stay closed to robots.