Seasonal Checklist
SUMMER

• Inspect front doors for failing varnish.
• Inspect all wrought iron and wood for peeling or rusting.
• Inspect wood for caulking.
• Check stucco for moisture penetration.
• Trim fan and queen palms just after flowering.
• Inject lemon-scented eucalyptus for lerp psyllids.
• Develop upgrade landscape plans.
• Aerate lawns to help save water.
• Remove leaves and debris from rooftops and drains.
• Check rooftop for splits or tears.

How and Why to Prune Young Trees
by Mike McConnell

	Obviously, this roof has poor drainage, but with preventive maintenance the drains could have been cleared for better drainage.

different jobs that property managers and owners deal with throughout the year that this task can sometimes slip right by. In San Diego, this is especially easy. After all, it hardly rains in Southern California. So if you don’t get any leak calls during the rainy season, then your roofs must be in good shape or are your tenants just failing to report leaks, right? Regardless, your roofs still need to be maintained. It is much easier to perform a permanent repair when the weather is good than it is trying to fix a leak when it is pouring down rain!

Emergency leak repairs are expensive, time consuming, and are a best effort type of repair. When the repairs are made during a storm, it is usually a temporary fix. Unless the repair fails to work, we usually never hear from the client again even if additional repairs are suggested. If you perform roof maintenance annually or even semi-annually, you will rarely have to panic because your roofer is not able to make it out to your tenant’s property the minute that they report a leak.

Another reason to have maintenance initiated is so you will get the most life out of your roof. If you fail to have this simple task performed, it is possible to cut the life of your roof in half. Preventive maintenance will save you hundreds of dollars each year and make the property manager’s life much easier when the rain does fall. Think of how much time it can save a manager the morning the day after it rains -- looking for roofers or dealing with irate tenants.

	Leaves and debris should have been cleaned off the roof long ago. The roof drain is completely buried underneath the leaves and debris.

Most of the preventive maintenance items are simple tasks that just take time. Cleaning debris off of your roof or out of gutters is a good idea, especially if there are Eucalyptus trees around. Check your tile roofs to see if any pieces of tile are missing or felt paper exposed. If you have wood shingles or shakes, have the roof inspected to see if there are any holes in them or if there is any exposed felt paper. On your shingle roofs, are there torn or missing shingles? On flat hot tar roofs, check to see if any tenant improvements have been made without your knowledge and if they were done properly. Check to see if there are any open laps on the parapet walls, and if all of the pipe penetrations are sealed. We frequently find out that the HVAC ductwork is leaking because it has never been resealed since the HVAC units were installed. Most of these types of problems cost less to address before the rainy season than it does to have them repaired during stormy weather.If you should have any questions about preventive maintenance programs please don’t hesitate to call me at (858) 581-5177.

Mike McConnell is the principle estimator for A -1 All American Roofing Co., a full service roofing company. A- 1 All American Roofing provides services to building owners and individual homeowners through its residential division. (858) 581-5177 • email: MMcConnell3@qwest.net

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