Desert HelpWinter is prime time in the southwest, with 70-degree days and an occasional rainstorm. But heat season is around the corner and it’s time to get your home ready for the relentless desert sun:
- Check out the caulking and weatherstripping around doors and windows. The dryness of the desert causes cracking in these areas.
- Now’s the time to have your air conditioner or evaporative cooler tuned up and inspected. If you wait till the first heat wave it may take a while to get an appointment with a technician.
- Is your exterior paint job older than five years? The hot summer sun and cold winter nights wreak havoc on painted surfaces. Think about repainting soon, or at least touching up worn-out areas.
- If your garage door faces the afternoon sun it absorbs a tremendous amount of heat, which can affect its performance. Test the safety of your opener by putting an empty cardboard box in the door’s path and push the closer. When the door hits the box, it should reverse. If the box is crushed, have it checked out.
