Is the Intense Heat Putting Your Home At Risk for Damage?
For most of us, especially here in Southwest Florida, the warmth of Summer can become an issue for your home. The blazing heat bares down and while we can duck inside for shelter your home bears the heat day after day only resting at night when the sun goes down.
Your Air Conditioning
Making sure your home’s air conditioning is running for the majority of the summer months is important, even if it’s set on a higher number. The reason being isn’t just the comfortability level of heat, the moisture becomes a major problem if the unit stops running. Items in your home will quickly begin to mold. Mold can ruin clothing, furniture, carpeting, and sentimental items easily. If you leave for a time making sure the ac is still set to run.
Your Roof
The fact is that in Florida roofs are highly susceptible to damage inflicted by heat. Attic spaces are small and not built for airflow. Temperatures in that area reach well over 100 degrees on a summer’s day. Humidity builds up in your attic. Over time that excess moisture and heat can cause a shingled roof to deteriorate more quickly than it would in a less harsh environment.
It is vital to properly maintain ducts and ventilation to mitigate this problem.
As if that wasn’t enough, the extra hot temperatures also may cause your roof to expand and warp. This can cause both shingle or tile roofs to warp and crack. The heat drys out the caulk around flashing structurally weakening your roof. This can be prevented through the installation of vapor barriers to decrease moisture, by coating and sealing the roof to protect against harmful UV rays, choosing a lighter color for the roof itself, and scheduling regular maintenance checks to make sure everything is in shape.
Your Plumbing
Surprisingly if pipes are not correctly sealed they may leak or burst, due to elevated water usage and pressure from garden hoses, swimming pools, and sprinklers. Along with AC maintenance, regular plumbing checks are a great idea to keep your home in good shape.
Your Home’s Foundation
The very foundation of your home may be at risk in the hottest months. When the soil heats up, the ground will shrink due to moisture evaporation. This can cause the soil to separate from the concrete potentially doing damage to the foundation. There are several things you can do to preventatively. Moisture consistency around the foundation of your house is needed, a sprinkler system can help with this. Another way to avoid the soil near your foundation drying up is to make sure no large trees are close to the house, trees draw up moisture through the earth and can create drought-like conditions in the area surrounding their roots in times of decreased moisture.
Extreme weather can be an enemy of your home’s structural integrity. The best way to help stave off these threats is to stay ahead of them by having professionals check for vulnerabilities and making sure that your house gets the airflow and moisture it needs to provide your family with a healthy environment for years to come.
Call All Day Air Cooling and Heating at 239-357-0727 24/7 or visit online at www.alldayaircooling.com to learn more or schedule an appointment.
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