Articles Written By: cdoelle

Houston April Weather Facts

yco469dcEHappy Easter Month!

Temperatures in April average 79 degrees for the high and 61 degrees for the low.

Houston’s record high for April is 94 degrees set in 1948 and the record low is degrees 22 set in 1995.

The average humidity for Houston in April is between 50% and 100% and rarely drops below 26%.

You can expect an average of 3.60 inches of rain this month.

Fun Fact: Some believe that April was named after the goddess Aphrodite.

April Home Maintenance Checklist

  • Inspect screens (both house and vent screens to attic or crawl space) for tears and bent
    frames.
  • devon-inventories-exeterCheck screens (both house and vent screens to attic or crawl space) for tears and bent
    frames. Clean window screens. Lay them flat on a picnic table or a pair of sawhorses
    and scrub them with a soft bristle brush and a mild detergent solution. Rinse with a
    garden hose and allow to dry thoroughly.
  • Inspect outdoor structures for deterioration – especially signs of rot. Use a small awl to
    probe posts, railings and window sills for soft spots. If you find any, plan to replace or
    repair them when the weather turns fair.
  • Prepare for the outdoor cooking season by inspecting gas grills. Remove cooking grills
    and thoroughly clean them with soapy water and a brush with brass bristles. Remove
    accumulated grease from lava rocks and ceramic briquettes by turning them over and
    igniting the burners. Allow 10 minutes on high heat to clean the briquettes.
  • Inspect garden hoses for leaks. Make temporary repairs with electrical tape. Pry out old
    washers and replace them. Don’t leave hoses connected to outdoor spigots until the
    danger of frost is completely over.
  • Caulk open joints, particularly around windows and doors.
  • Inspect the crawl space or basement after rains for water accumulation or excessive
    moisture. Look for signs of water damage on the subfloor and joists beneath bathrooms,
    the kitchen and laundry. Find and fix leaks now or pay the price later.
  • Shut off the water to the washing machine, remove the water supply hoses and
    examine them and the washers. Replace worn and damaged ones.
  • Check fire extinguishers to make sure they are not outdated, have lost pressure or are
    damaged.
  • Check all weather stripping around doors and windows for wear, damage or loss of
    flexibility. Replace material that is no longer blocking air.
  • Clean your garbage disposal. Grind two trays of ice cubes made from a mixture of one
    cup white vinegar to one gallon of water.

Tips for your AC

Spring is here and summer is on the way and that means you will want to keep nice and cool, right? Well if you are in the market for a new AC just know that buying a bigger AC doesn’t always mean you will be cooler. Getting a large AC to cool a smaller area won’t do it as efficiently as a smaller AC designed for the smaller areas. The reason for this is the larger AC will cool to the thermostat’s set point before the dehumidification can occur. Central AC units need to be sized by a professional.

Cooling tips:

  • Set your thermostat as high as comfortably possible. The smaller the difference between the indoor temperature and the outdoor temperature the less your energy bill will be.
  • Try not to set the temperature lower than normal, it will not cool faster it will only work harder and cause unnecessary energy usage.
  • If you are using a window AC unit, consider a fan to go along with it to help circulate the cool air.
  • Avoid placing things that produce heat near AC units
  • If you are using an old AC unit consider replacing it with a more efficient Energy Star certified one, they can be up to 15% more efficient than other models.

Ten Spring Fun Facts

  1. spring timeThe first day of the spring season is called the vernal equinox, which is Latin for “equal night.”
  2. The idea that the first day of spring (the vernal equinox) is 12 hours of night and day rarely works, usually it happens before the vernal equinox.
  3. Benjamin Franklin proposed daylight savings back in 1784.
  4. The United States begins saving daylight on the second Sunday in March. The practice started in 2005.
  5. Spring fever is not just a saying, experts believe the body’s diet and hormone production change.
  6. If you stood on the equator you would see the sun pass directly overhead which happens only twice a year (during spring and again in autumn).
  7. Can you really stand an egg on its end today? Yes, but you can also do that any other day of the year if you have the patience.
  8. The first spring flowers are typically dandelions, lilies, tulips, lilacs, iris, and daffodils. (There are many more than that of course).
  9. The earth’s axis tilts toward the sun during the spring causing more daylight.
  10. The first day of spring in the southern hemisphere is the date of the autumnal equinox in the northern hemisphere, usually in September.

Happy Spring from The Cool Dude!

That Fresh Smell of Rain

Ever wonder why it smells fresh after it rains? Back in 1964, two Australian scientists, Isabel Joy Bear and R. G. Thomas, began to study on this scent that is produced by the rain. They coined the term petrichor which is a pair of Greek root words for stone and the blood of the gods to explain the aroma. They determined that the scent is mainly caused by a blend of oils produced by plants during arid periods. When a storm comes after a drought the oils that have accumulated over time in the rocks are mixed and dispersed into the air. These oils mix with compounds in the air and produce the fresh smell of rain scent!smell of rain