Deferred Maintenance on your Home
By Cenote Sally
It’s a fact of life: Mother Nature conspires against humanity in the tropics. Life flourishes all around us in Mérida, and nature wants to reclaim everything that humanity builds. That’s one reason the Maya ruins are, well, in ruins! Don’t let your home suffer the same fate.
Whether you’ve been away for a few months, or just bought a home that was “renovated” and been sitting on the market for a year, the moment you return to a house that has not been lived in, there will be things to take of immediately.
Consider these the necessary deferred maintenance required of every homeowner in Mérida.
Clean the Roof & Repair Leaks
It’s an annual rite of passage: Checking for leaks once the rain arrives. But if you arrive before the rains do, the first order of business is to check your roof for debris.
Even if you don’t have trees on your property, the winds – and there are mighty strong winds during rainstorms – blow leaves everywhere. In a matter of days, enough leaves can accumulate in a corner of your roof for things to start to sprout, or at least moisture to start to work its havoc.
Immediately upon arrival, climb on the roof – or get a gardener or handyman to do it for you – to make sure that it is clear of any debris.
Also be mindful that regardless of the sealant applied to your roof, you will have to reapply sealant every two or three years. There is no product on the market that was designed for the intense heat and powerful downpours throughout the peninsula. Expect leaks every now and then, and always, always, always wait for the dry season (winter time) to reapply sealant to the entire roof, otherwise, you are wasting your money.
But check for debris on your roof within 24 hours of arriving.
Activate the Bacteria in Your Septic Tank
If no one’s been living in your home, then no one has been feeding the bacteria in your septic tank. That’s right, for better or for worse, it’s an ecosystem in there, and it needs nourishment.
If a house has been closed up for years – and most of the properties on the market in the historic center have been unoccupied for at least a year – then there may be little, if any, bacteria left alive in your septic tank.
First order of business with the first flush: introduce bacteria and enzymes that will regenerate a healthy ecosystem in your tank capable of breaking down waste products.
The easiest thing to do is to bring some Rid-X with you from the States of Canada. If you forgot, there are only two places in town where you can get Rid-X or Septi-Pak: Home Depot and Casa Catherwood.
Banish Lime Build-Up
The Yucatán is a flate limestone landmass, and the water is rich in calcium. That means that faucets and pipes are subject to lime build-up. Use Lime Away, a water softener or other product to open up pipes and faucets! Everything clogs up, especially when it is not used regularly.
Surge Protectors are a Must!
Every electrical storm brings fluctuations in the electric current. It’s a fact of life: Mérida is growing so quickly that the Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) is having trouble keeping up with demand for electrical power. In the older areas – and the historic center is as old as it gets – there are power outages, fluctuations and brownouts often enough.
In fact, the federal consumer protection agency has a division set up to help consumers file claims against the CFE for their fried electronics.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that it takes anywhere from 6 to 12 months to get the CFE to respond. The smart thing is an ounce of prevention …
And that means: Surge Protectors.
Under no circumstances should you ever, ever, ever have your computer, television or stereo equipment plugged directly into an outlet. In my home, there is even a surge protector on the kitchen counter just for the blender, toaster, microwave and the cell phone chargers.
If you forgot to get a deal on them at Staples or Costco before coming down, then get yourself over to Sam’s Club, Costco, Home Depot, Boxito, Office Depot or Wal-Mart and get surge protectors.
And be smart: if there’s a storm, turn everything off, and unplug the surge protector. This is especially true if the lights begin to flicker, or if they go out. The last thing you want to do is have the power come back on with an electrical surge – and fry everything that’s plugged into the wall.
Let the Sun Shine In!
In the tropic, stagnant air means one thing: MOLD!
Yes, mold spores will settle and start to grow! It’s horrible, but it’s true. That’s a lesson learned he hard way.
The remedy? Let the sun shine in. Open the shutters, draw the curtains, let the air flow, flow, flow! And do it again. Let the sun shine in, and if you need to spray with Lysol and turn on fans, do that. You have to get the air circulating for the first 48 hours upon returning to your house. Air it out, and it will make a big difference.
And while you’re at it, gently clean all leather furniture, since these are were the mold spores hide and breed – and they can really make you sick.
If you don’t have Lysol spray on hand, get some!
Banish Mosquitoes
Not quite paradise! The most annoying thing about living in Mérida are the mosquitoes. There’s nothing that can be done about it, since it’s their planet as much as it is ours, and they love the tropics. Every year health officials warn about them, and report on outbreaks of dengue fever in poorer neighborhoods, so it is a perennial concern. But there is a solution! A natural, organic and sustainable solution: Colibri incense.
Imported from Auroville, India this is the only all-natural incense made of scents that scare them away. Ideal for indoor and outdoor use, many Hacienda resorts and local restaurants and bars use them for patio and terrace seating. In town, only Casa Catherwood sells them, although if you are in Celestún or near Uxmal there are resorts that have them in their gift shops. You can’t have a gracious home if you have mosquitoes buzzing around! More information at: www.casa-catherwood.com/colibri, or just drop by and stock up.
After you take these steps, you are ready to enjoy being back!
Excerpt from THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO LIVING IN MERIDA: 2012. To order this book, click on the image in the upper right.
