Do you have water problems around you home or business after the rains? I’d bet on it. Insurance companies bet against it, and have disclaimers and waivers to back them up.
Many a spare tire is leaning up against something and develops a small pool of stagnant water inside. Pottery bowls, planters, buckets, children’s yard toys, all are places where water accumulates during the rainy season or from watering the yard. When water is allowed to remain and stagnate, we are creating the perfect spot for unwanted critters.
Not all critters are large and scary like possums, raccoons and coyotes. Many are small and scary like mosquitoes. No sense inviting little biting insects to breed in your yard. No good can come of that.
For example, many folks have boats on trailers. The bilge plug should be out, to allow rain and sprinkler water to drain out. If the tongue of the trailer is set on something low, water may accumulate in the bow of the boat. Be sure the boat sits at such an angle that water can drain out of the bilge drain hole. Keep that bilge hole plug handy because it is too easy to forget to put it back in the hole before launching.
Experience with waterproofed things brings me to a profound and useful conclusion. Water will infiltrate almost anything, and a waterproofed item only manages to contain water without allowing it to do anything but slowly accumulate. Since delicate and corrosion-prone materials are invariably mounted inside of a waterproofed housing, disaster is assured.
Here’s an example having to do with electronics. I have an older radar unit on my boat because it still works well and hasn’t failed me. But trapped water almost destroyed the unit early in its productive life. After a few years of use, I noticed slight performance problems.
When I pulled the unit, I could feel water sluicing around inside. So much for it being waterproof. The solution was simple: Drilling a couple of small holes in the bottom of the housing allowed water to drain out. Many years later, that radar has outlasted its class and still performs well.
With the rainy season going strong, take a good long look around your yard. Adjust storage angles to allow water to drain. Turn items upside down so water cannot accumulate. Make sure there no drainage bottlenecks that will allow water to stand and stagnate.
Let’s keep things dry, pest-free and healthy.
— Capt. David Bacon operates WaveWalker Charters and is president of SOFTIN Inc., a nonprofit organization providing seafaring opportunities for those in need. Visit softininc.blogspot.com to learn more about the organization and how you can help. Click here to read previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.
