From page 30
ON THE
PLOT
dry them.
if exposed above ground, will
melt or be severely damaged
if exposed to fire. So, like
your fences, the area
immediately around your
pipework should be
skoffelled or cut absolutely
clear of all grass and weed.
At the same time, leaky taps
and valves can be replaced
or repaired, clamps tightened
or replaced and underground
leaks detected and fixed.
This is particularly easy at this
time of year and will be
indicated by an unusually
green spot in the midst of the
more usual uniform khaki of
your dry grass.
Now is also a good time to
service and clean sprinkler
and mist sprayer heads.
Finally, no outside maintenance would be complete
without attending to your
security set-up.
If you have infra-red security
beams in your garden your
annual maintenance should
include removing the covers
and cleaning out the
inevitable
collection of anteggs and other
“goggas” that take
up residence
inside. Wash the
covers in soapy
water and dry
well before
refitting them,
taking care to
ensure that all
smear marks are
removed as you
With the covers off examine
the connections of your
comms and power cables.
Because of the galvanic
reaction between the copper
wire and the metal connector as a result of the constant
current passing through, a
residue can build up which
can cause a break in
connectivity if not cleaned
off. If you see a grey powdery residue on the wire of
connector, loosen the screw,
wipe both the end of the
wire and the connector clean
and retighten the screw.
Even if the connection looks
clean it makes sense to check
the tightness of the connector screw.
If your transmitters or
receivers are attached to
trees (which grow and
change shape over time) or
metal poles (the bases of
which can be shifted by roots
and other ground movements) now is also a good
opportunity to check that
they are targeting their
opposite lenses accurately.
QUIRKY
33
www.sasmallholder.co.za