Tucson Homeowners Alliance
Home Tips for Fall

Autumn is a crucial time in maintaining your house when an ounce of prevention can save lots of expenses and other costs later on.

Recovering from Summer
Autumn brings an end to hot summer temperatures and monsoon storms. Start by inspecting your house thoroughly, inside and out.

Check for water leaks, both inside and out. According to national surveys, water is the biggest and most costly cause of damage to houses. Water rots wood and drywall, rusts steel, dissolves other materials, stains surfaces, attracts termites and other pests, feeds the growth and spread of mold, and causes freezing damage. Deal with any leaks you find immediately. The biggest mistake homeowners make is to delay repairs, to put them off. That is the road to ruin. It gets easier to put off every day you do so. Until you take things apart and look at them, it may not be clear how widespread or serious the damage is. Water leaks are an urgent call for action. Don't delay. The damage can spread ... well, like water.

Check for heat and storm damage. Summer heat can reach over 150 degrees on your roof and other surface areas around your property. The extreme summer climate is very hard on wood, plastics, some sealants and many other materials that are often (mistakenly) used on a house. Rainwater and condensation can intrude in all kinds of cracks, holes and other places in the walls and roof of your house and cause lots of problems that only get worse over time. Protecting the integrity of the building envelope is job one in maintaining your house. So take some time on a pleasant day to look carefully over the external surfaces of your house, especially vulnerable places like corners, edges and transitions between two kinds of materials. Be sure to use appropriate materials to fill in holes and cracks (e.g. long life exterior caulk). When in doubt, ask.

Check your heating and cooling systems. The change of seasons is a great time to inspect and test your HVAC systems to be sure everyone is working properly. If the cooling systems are not up to snuff, try to find out why and make detailed notes of things to do about it during winter. Test your heating system now, while the weather is mild, and take care of any problems well before you really need heating. Remember to check your manufacturer's and installer's recommendations and have a reliable professional check your systems periodically: this might be five years or more for new equipment, but as often as annually for old heat pumps and gas furnaces.

Shut down cooling systems and start up heating systems properly. Except for heat pumps, many heating and cooling systems require some sort of attention in changing from cooling to heating seasons, especially older ones. If you purchased a house recently, be sure to have someone go over the HVAC systems and explain them to you. It's best to read and pay attention to manufacturer's instructions. If in doubt, call your heating and cooling service or your gas company - they're both happy to help customers avoid destroying their HVAC systems or homes. With gas heating systems, remember to turn on the gas to the heater. The appropriate valve should be somewhere along the gas pipe before it enters the heater. Turn it fully to the "on" position (generally the valve handle rotates parallel to the pipe for the "on" position). If in doubt, be sure to ask. With some heating systems, you should also insert a baffle into the duct so that air from the cooler does not leak out through the heating system. Many people, new to the region, are surprised to find that many old houses need to have duct baffles changed. They often learn the hard way that the reason for their huge heating bills is simply heat blowing out through their evaporative cooler because they didn't know to insert a baffle.

Caution: Firing up your heater for the season can be bad for your health. Remember what the air in your house felt like last time you did this? It was a warning. Dust gathers in your house and ducts and, when sucked into your heater, is turned into a witch's brew of nasty airborn chemicals you really don't want to breath. When you first turn on your heater for the season, pick a nice warm, sunny day. Then be sure to first open all your doors and windows, put fans in the doorways to help exhaust the air, and go outdoors for a while. If you have an evaporative cooler, skip the fans and just turn it on instead.

Check for termites. Termites are all over the place in this region. Even within Tucson city limits, there are an average of five subterranean termite colonies per acre. Both subterranean and drywood termites swarm and create new colonies during the moist summer monsoon period. They can cause a great deal of damage, especially to wood frame houses. While you are doing your thorough house inspection, look along the entire exterior periphery of the house, along the edge of the foundation, for termites. Subterranean termites build small round tubes that run from the ground up into the walls of the house. Drywood termites leave little piles of droppings that look almost like sawdust, but put them under a magnifying glass and they have very regular shaping, sort of like ovoid golf balls. If you find anything like this, contact us for advice or find several good, reliable termite companies to compare advice and bids.

Preparing for Winter
Tucson is famous for mild winters, but that doesn't mean that it can't get quite cold here. You can take smart steps at this time to better protect your property, improve comfort and reduce cooling costs.

Shut down your evaporative cooler. Doing it on a nice pleasant autumn day is not only more pleasant, it can save a lot of trouble and money to beat the first freeze. Drain the water from the sump and also in the water line before it freezes. If you cannot drain the water line, be sure to insulate it well: the thin copper pipe transmits heat and cold very well and easily ruptures in a hard freeze. Check the integrity of the water sump – if there are cracks or holes in the paint of a metal pan, be sure to repair or refinish it. This beats having to replace the whole unit because of rust. Check the adiabatic damper if you have one – this is what automatically lets the air from the cooler into your ducts, but closes when the cooler is not operating. The flaps sometimes get stuck or rust. If, instead, your system uses a baffle in the duct, be sure to remember to remove to insert it or most of your heated air will go out through the cooler. Turn your heater on to test for heat loss through the cooler. Check for problems and make detailed notes of things to fix before summer comes again.

Change the heat pump or AC air filter. Air conditioners and heat pumps need a change of air intake filters regularly. Letting this go can be very expensive: a clogged filter reduces air flow and increases the load on the blower motor and compressor. Timely $1 filter changes not only allow your system to operate more efficiently, they can help you avoid $1,000 repairs to your AC unit. Don't even think of operating your system without a filter - the dust will build up in the coils of your AC unit and unclogging it is a professional job that pays well.

Have your heat pump and air conditioner checked and serviced regularly. This is a job that is best left to professionals with the right equipment. An older unit may need checking as often as every year or two. Newer ones can be done less frequently. Technicians are trained and equipped to conduct tests and maintain appropriate levels of refrigerant. These checkups typically cost about $75 – not bad compared to the cost of a new system (say, $3500-$7000).

You can operate your heaters more efficiently. The higher the outdoor temperature, the more efficient your heat pump will run. Coolness or heat can be "stored" in the thermal mass of the interior of your house (e.g. concrete or masonry or tile floors, walls and features). Therefore you can have a more comfortable house at lower cost by turning on your cooler late in the morning or during mid-day, when the outdoor temperature is warmest, and using it to "recharge" the thermal mass inside your house for warmth. This will be a lot more efficient than turning on the heater during the cold of the night or earky morning. The better your house insulation, the longer this will last during the evening. It is now possible to design and build a house very cost-effectively so that this will last the whole night without additional heating. Similarly, in the summer, you can run your heat pump during the cool of the early morning warmest and recharge interior mass to become cool.

The secret about heat pumps you may want to know. Heat pumps are good in mild climates and work well in Tucson most of the time. However, they work only when they have heat to pump, metaphorically speaking. When it's freezing outside, they don't work well at all. For this reason, heat pump manufacturers include backup heating in the form of an electric resistance heating unit. Most heat pumps are set to switch to this when the temperature outside drops below 40 degrees. It will keep you warm, but at a very high price: this is just about the most expensive heat source available. If you are concerned about your utility bill, then you might want to do other things at that point. For example, operate the heat pump during mid-day until you home is toasty warm, then just turn it off. If it becomes cool in the evening, you can put on heavier clothing or use a portable electric heater to warm yourself or the room you are occupying. The portable heater is also an electrical resistance heater, but by putting it where it is needed most, you don't waste so much electricity. The same approach works in the morning too. A portable heater can be especially nice in warming up the bathroom if you shower then.

Turn your heater off when the house is unoccupied. We're often asked, what is the best strategy for when you're away from the house during the day: is it better to leave the heater on or turn it off? The laws of thermodynamics are clear: the rate of heat transfer through your building envelop is proportional to the difference in temperature between indoors and out. Therefore, if you want to save on heating costs, turn your heater off while you're away. You're wasting your money heating a house that just leaks it to the outside. If you have a gas heater, these warm up the house so fast you might as well just turn it on when you come home. If you have a heat pump and would like a warm house when you come home, just install a programmable thermostat so you can set it to turn on during mid-day or an hour or two before you return home. You'll recover the cost of the thermostat quickly in energy savings. If your house had passive solar design, it would heat itself during the day.

Clean, dust and oil your portable fans and ceiling fans. These can be very useful during the winter too. Hot air rises and collects at the ceiling. A ceiling fan with a low speed can gently stur the air so that it is warmer down where you are. If your ceiling fan has a reverse switch, use that during the winter: this pulls the air up to the ceiling and lets it flow down the walls, increasing your comfort from the walls and reducing direct drafts in the middle the room.

Uniquely Fall
Some things are best done in the fall, just because it's that time.

Fall planting. Fall is the best time for planting many species in our region, especially trees. October is also the best month for transplanting. If you are willing to be alert and protect new plants on freezing nights, it's often better to plant early in the fall, to give them more time to adjust before summer heat hits. It's also one of the most pleasant times to be doing things outside. It's a great time to be working in your yard. If you plant new plants, be careful to discuss the issue of frost – some may need protection during cold nights. You might want to get frost blankets, cardboard boxes and other materials to protect frost sensitive plants. For more information, call the Pima County Extension Service, operated by the University of Arizona.

Fall cleaning. Most homes are sealed up tight during the summer. The cool fall period is a great time to open up the doors and windows and throughly clean and air the house. This ritual will help you keep on top of things. If you have an evaporative cooler, turn it on and open doors and windows in the room you are working on so that any dust in the air will be quickly moved outside. If it's too cool, just use the blower without turning on the pump. Go through your entire house, indoors and out, and keep your eyes and other senses alert for other things that need attention too. The best time to fix things is almost always ASAP.

Indoor air quality: Protect against dryness. The air is typically so dry in Tucson that it dries your mucous membranes and nasal passages, inhibiting normal function and contributing to our region's plethora of respiratory problems. For the same reason, many who are afflicted with asthma breathe easier in Tucson. Doctors recommend higher humidity for most people. Indoor plants are reported to help in increasing humidity and improving indoor air quality. When you take a shower or boil water on the stove, don't vent it, let it stay in the house. Things like standing water or mini-fountains require very careful maintenance, frequent cleaning and frequently changing of the water to prevent contamination with airborne mold, mildew, bacteria and other microbes. Avoid additives like chlorine bleach, which can get into the air and cause more health problems. Humidifiers are iffy in the winter: if you choose to use one, be sure to watch for and limit condensation on windows, walls and other interior surfaces. This can cause water damage to your house.

Indoor air quality: Protect against air pollution. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that indoor air quality in homes is often far worse than allowed by law in heavy industrial plants. Why? Because homeowners often seal their houses for long periods against the cold, but don't do anything about ventilation to provide themselves with clean air. Combustion products from gas heaters and stoves, including carbon monoxide, builds up in the air and oxygen levels go down. Many are shocked to see the amazing pollution levels caused by burning a single candle. Dust builds up. People and pets breath in oxygen and breath out carbon dioxide and many other things you don't really want in your air. Good modern heating and cooling systems also have automatic ventilation systems and heat exchangers to provide fresh air on a regular basis. If yours does not, you may want to rediscover the wisdom of an old tradition in cold climates: take advantage of warm sunny days to open up doors and windows and air your house out frequently.

Protect against winter rain and frost. The summer monsoon season is hard on roofs. It's a good idea to inspect your roof thoroughly in the fall and fix potential problems before they happen. It sure beats doing it in the middle of a winter rain. Also, if you need a roofing contractor, you'll find them a lot more available and less costly in the fall. This is a good time to check the integrity of your entire building envelope, including external walls, foundation, doors, windows and vents. Look for leaks and cracks where water can get in – and seal them tight. If you have gutters, this is the time to clean them and be sure they are not leaking. Also, make sure that water drains away from your house in all directions - flooding from yard drainage problems causes a lot of damage to houses here every year. This is also a good time to purchase frost blankets, insulation for pipes, and obtain cardboard boxes and other materials to protect frost sensitive plants and outdoor plumbing. Statistically, November 24 is the average date for the first freeze, but it could happen much earlier.

Perform other periodic maintenance. Spring is a good time to do other regular periodic maintenance. For example, check the batteries in fire, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, security systems, alarm clocks and other things with batteries. In some cases, it might be best simply to replace them annually. (Have you even been wakened at 3:00 a.m. by your fire alarm, just telling you that its battery is low?) Also, check the charge in your fire extinguishers. If you are missing any of these, you might want to go to the public library and look in Consumer Reports to find out why you need them, what you need and how to shop for them.

Join in with your community. We invite you to become a part of this community sharing too. Please send us your own thoughts and ideas and share your experience too. We'll happily credit good ideas.Together we can make better homes and communities.
  Put the power of community on your side. Join the Tucson Homeowners Alliance. Here's how!

Return