Summer is the time of barbeques, picnics, outdoor fun– and storms. The nature of summer brings along with it ripe breeding grounds for dangerous storms. Warm drafts collide with cold winds, and a subsequent storm can collide with your property. If you’re uncertain whether or not to have a fence built during the summer, or if maintenance of a fence seems like a moot point, fear not. There are a few things that can be done to prevent catastrophic damage to a fence, even under the wild influence of summer storms.
Reinforce Your Fence
A fence whose posts have loosened from under the ground over the years is prone to becoming completely uprooted during a powerful storm. Wind pressure and other pressures, such as people or animals leaning against a fence can contribute to a post unsettling the dirt around it. After a while, the dirt no longer forms a tight seal around the post, and the fence exhibits a slight jiggle when pushed against. If your fence wiggles when you push against it, it’s time to refill the areas surrounding the posts with a hard packing of the material of your choice. Dirt works well nine times out of ten. Other options for reinforcing the structural integrity of your fence include placing additional supports for the fence, such as wood or metal plinths. A layer of concrete can be poured at the base of a post to ensure that it won’t ever loosen up again.
Trim Fence Hazards
One of the more common contributors to a fence’s splintered state lies in its environment. Overhanging branches can become a huge problem for fences during rough storms, as branches have been known to break off of the overhanging tree and smash into your fence on its descent to the ground. To avoid having your fence plummeting with your tree branches, have an inspector go over which trees and their branches prove a structural risk to your home investments. In the worst of storms, entire trees can become uprooted, which spell danger for your entire household, not just the fence outside it. Other hazards can include large objects which might lie nearby it, such as trash cans and other large objects left to rest outside. If you feel as though it might storm, move your trash receptacles, lawnmowers, and other lawncare paraphernalia to the garage, where they’ll be safe from the oncoming storm, and won’t be a danger to your property, to boot.
