How to safely weather Arizona’s monsoon
When Arizona’s monsoon season officially begins June 15, almost anything can happen. We could see heavy rainfall, electrical and dust storms and monster winds. Your neighborhood may have flooding due to a microburst, while an area on the other side of town gets no rain at all.
But with a little preparation, you can get your home ready for whatever comes blowing your way.
ON THE HOUSE
Electrical issues
Arizona has more lightning strikes than any state except Florida, and most of these happen during the monsoon season. However unlikely it might be, if lightning hits a transformer in your neighborhood, it can send a wave of voltage through the wires to local houses. Even a downed power line or tripped circuits in your house can cause problems. It’s also tricky when power in a neighborhood goes down and then comes back on. As a result, wiring in your air-conditioner, refrigerator, computer, flat-screen TV and other electronics and appliances could be damaged.
To avoid this, whole-house surge protection is becoming increasingly popular. This type of protection hardwires a suppressor directly to your electrical-service panel or wherever the electricity enters your home. Prices for these installations range from $400 for a good device to up to $900 for the best. Some suppressors even have “counters” that can show you the number of electrical spikes your home has had. Certain packages also include insurance in case the protector fails.
For extra peace of mind, A good whole-house surge suppressor can be installed on your electrical panel starting at about $400. AUSTIN ELECTRIC SERVICES plug-in surge protectors can be of energy. It should also stop added to your system, accordfunctioning when its circuits ing to Tim Schrimsher, vice are damaged by a surge. president of Austin Electric And what about lightning Services in Phoenix. rods? Sometimes called “air
There is a difference, howterminals,” lightning rods are ever, between a power strip 12 inches long. They’re mountthat works like an extension ed about every 20 feet on the cord and an actual plug-in highest points of your roof, surge protector, although they including on top of rooftop AC may look the same. Plug-in units. If lightning strikes your protectors range from strip house, it will hit a rod that devices to box-style units that offers it a path of least resisprotect all components in one tance through wiring connectarea, like a home theater. Some ed to rods buried in your yard. units also offer battery backup These wires will drive the bolt when power goes out. When 10 feet into the ground, where you buy a plug-in unit, make its energy dissipates. sure it meets Underwriters You can place lightning rods Laboratories standards and on any kind of roof, flat or can absorb at least 600 joules pitched, metal, shingle or foam. They are considerably more expensive than surge suppressors and are probably less feasible for most homeowners. We see them used primarily as a way to protect horses or livestock in barns and corrals.
Roof problems
It’s time to have potential roofing issues inspected and repairs made, like replacing asphalt shingles or tiles. Foam roofs need to be checked for holes pecked by birds. Also look for blisters and inspect all edges and drain points.
Have a roofer do an estimate for what needs to be fixed. You should do this every five years anyway even if you haven’t experienced leaks. There still might be time to put on a new roof if you’ve been considering one.
If you have a flat roof and aren’t afraid of heights and ladders, you might do some of the regular maintenance yourself.
“If you’re a skilled do-ityourselfer, you may be able to seal pipes and penetrations on your roof,” says Ann Pepper of Lyons Roofing in Phoenix. “Clean out the gutters and remove any organic debris on the roof. You also need to clean out the valleys between different sections of your roof. That’s because you want the water to flow quickly off the top of your house during heavy storms.”
Landscape issues
Although southern and central Arizona aren’t known for their towering trees, some on your property may be overgrown and have dead limbs. You need to prune and thin trees standing near your house. You don’t want branches sweeping over your roof and loosening shingles or tiles during heavy winds. You don’t want limbs breaking off and hitting the house or a car parked in the driveway. Stake young trees as well.
Eucalyptus trees are particularly known for shedding limbs in storms. Giant palm trees should be trimmed. Their dead fronds go up like Roman candles when hit by lightning.
If you often have standing water in your yard when it rains, be prepared. Put gutters on your roof to divert water to landscaped areas or to rain barrels that store water for future garden use. Add drains to driveways, sidewalks and patios.
Upgrade your concrete patio or driveway to “permeable” pavers riddled with holes so water can soak through. Divert the water that hits your pool deck so it flows away from your house and your neighbor’s yard. Perhaps a landscaper can re-grade part of the yard or build false river paths and new planting groups that can help.
Next week, we’ll talk about plumbing jobs you can do yourself and those that you can’t. Have you ever thought about cleaning out the P-trap under your bathroom sink?