A specialist quotes better with photos of the roof, its size and what is wrong. Send one request with the details and we pass it to lightning protection installers working in towns and cities across Mpumalanga.
Lightning Protection for Thatch Roofs in Mpumalanga
Thunderstorms around Mpumalanga? Say how many thatched buildings you have, how far apart they are and whether any mast is already in, so lightning protection installers who work in Mpumalanga and around Mpumalanga can quote masts, earthing and surge protection.
Want to know more first? Our lightning protection guide covers the options, what to ask for and what affects the price.
Repairs & protection in Mpumalanga: local notes
Under big trees in the Lowveld, moss, algae and leaf build-up in valleys are the usual complaints, and cleaning followed by treatment is a common job. Lodges in the bushveld also plan for veld fires with firebreaks, retardant and sometimes a drencher system. On the Highveld side, <a href="/lightning-protection/">lightning masts</a> matter as much as they do in Gauteng. Birds, rats and borer beetles in old poles turn up on many lodge inspections.
Thatch in Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga both grows thatch and uses a great deal of it. Much of the country's thatching grass is cut on the grasslands of the eastern Highveld in winter, around Ermelo, Carolina, Badplaas and Lydenburg, and bundles leave on trucks for Gauteng and beyond. Down the escarpment, the Lowveld around White River, Hazyview, Sabie and the Kruger gates is lodge and guesthouse country, with thatched chalets, bomas and rondavels everywhere. The two halves wear thatch differently: Lowveld summers are hot and humid, so shaded roofs grow moss and rot faster, while the Highveld side gets cold, dry winters, grass fires and strong summer lightning. Mining towns such as eMalahleni and Secunda have less thatch, mostly garden lapas and smallholdings.
Who asks for lightning protection around Mpumalanga, most often first:
- Game lodges and bush camps: several masts covering chalets and the main boma, tested regularly
- Homeowners: a free-standing mast beside the house and surge protection at the board
- Farms and smallholdings: masts for the farmhouse, lapa and thatched sheds on open land
Local tips for Mpumalanga
Thatchers serving Mpumalanga mostly work from here: mbombela, White River and Hazyview for thatchers; Ermelo and Lydenburg for grass. The jobs that come up most: lodge chalets and bomas, guesthouse re-thatching, grass bundles for other provinces. When you ask for quotes, ask the grass supplier when the next harvest is cut and how bundles are stored.
Around Mpumalanga the largest group asking is game lodges and bush camps, which usually means several masts covering chalets and the main boma, tested regularly. Before you agree to anything: installed to the relevant SANS standard. Getting a crew there: grass is close by; crews from Mbombela and White River reach most lodges.
Service area: Mpumalanga and surrounds
We pass Mpumalanga requests to thatchers and suppliers based in or regularly working in Mbombela, eMalahleni, Middelburg, Secunda, White River, Hazyview, Ermelo. Rural requests should give the nearest town, so travel is quoted honestly.