Hot Weather Survival Tips for New Homeowners
- Be prepared for accidents. Keep a current first aid kit on hand. You or your kids may get sunburns, stung by a bee, bit by a tick or exposed to poison ivy, oak or sumac. Keep bandages, antibiotic creams, gauze, pain reliever and any other necessary medication on hand that your family may need.
- Severe weather can pop up quickly. Depending on where you live, it may not be uncommon for a pop-up storm to roll through your community. Be sure that you have a flashlight and fresh batteries available in case of a power outage. Also, have a supply of nonperishable foods and water easily accessible in case your home is without power for several days.
- Add or replace weather-stripping around window and door frames. Warm air can get into your home through cracks or holes in the frames around your doors and windows. Weather-stripping materials can be bought at your local home improvement store and be easily applied to the gaps. Cool, conditioned air can’t escape and hot, humid air can’t get inside.
- Seal concrete cracks. If you have noticed any cracks in your driveway, sidewalk, garage floor or pool deck, fill them in with caulk and a concrete sealer. This will help to prevent the crack from getting any bigger in the hot, dry summer weather.
- Have your air conditioner maintained. Be sure that you get your air conditioner tuned up. A professional HVAC technician can perform an inspection of all major components of your cooling system to be sure everything is clean and working normally. Oncourse Home Solutions’ brands offer AC Maintenance Plans for low monthly rates. To see if we are in your area, visit our homepage and enter your zip code into the search box at the top of the screen.
- Trim back bushes and trees. Make sure that you do not have any bushes or tree limbs hanging over or on top of your air conditioner. Also, be sure that nothing is growing too close to your home’s windows and siding. During a severe storm with heavy winds, these branches or shrubs could be pushed into your home, causing serious damage.