Persistent heat troubles Yuma's people, machines

Despite a National Weather Service forecast for Yuma of a 30 percent chance of showers through Friday, there is no relief from the heat in sight. Daytime temperatures will remain constant near 105 degrees. And, as hazardous as heat stress can be on residents' health, the high temperatures can also wreak havoc on air conditioners.

Although there is nothing out of the ordinary with this summer's weather, Tara Orta, sales coordinator for Comstock Air Conditioning in Yuma, said whenever the temperature climbs above 100 degrees "the units work pretty hard."

Orta said the most common problems with air-conditioning units are bad motors, bad compression, low Freon levels or lack of maintenance, which are aggravated by heat. Comstock has received about 12 calls per day for repairs in recent weeks. And in the event of disaster striking at a most precarious time, Comstock keeps a service technician on call 24 hours a day.

In order to avoid air conditioning breakdowns, Orta recommended residents keep their units' filter clean and have them fully serviced at least once a year.

Extreme heat may also take a toll on automobile batteries. Javier Peralta, assistant manager of Pep Boys Automotive Supercenter in Yuma, said summer is always tough on batteries. However Peralta has not seen an upswing in battery replacement this year because of the heat.

Peralta explained that since standard batteries are filled with mostly water and acid heat can dry them out and motorists rarely perform maintenance on batteries. He recommended drivers clean terminals, battery trays, cables and posts, have protective spray applied, and install felt washers to keep the posts and cables from corroding.

Although people are generally more adaptable than machines, they too must take care not to dehydrate.

Mike Erfert, public information officer for the Yuma Fire Department, says people need to remember to drink plenty of water to replenish fluids lost through sweating.

"The fluids in the body fuel your body's cooling system," he said.

He urges people to be aware of symptoms of dehydration, including headaches, feeling of nausea as well as thirst.

He recommends limiting consumption of caffeinated, sugary or alcoholic beverages that promote dehydration. Other tips offered by Erfert include wearing light-colored, loose fitting clothing and limiting exposure to the heat and sunlight.

While a dip in a cool swimming pool is one way to beat heat, Erfert says that alone won't combat dehydration. "It's not the fluid on the outside; it's the fluid on the inside that counts," he said.

Nonetheless, outside of a climate-controlled environment, one of Yuma's public pools - Kennedy, Marcus or Carver - is a popular place to be this time of year. There is also a water feature at Friendship Park.

The pools usually remain open between 6:15 a.m. and 7:45 p.m. on weekdays and from 1 to 7:45 p.m. on weekends, with additional evening hours available for pool party rentals. Yet much of the day is structured around instruction so open swimming is usually limited to 1 to 3:45 p.m. and 6:15 to 7:45 p.m. on weekdays and 1 to 7:45 p.m. on weekends.

Features at each of the pools varies, with Kennedy being the largest accommodating 500 swimmers and Marcus being able to handle 375. Carver, while open to the public, is used mostly for training lifeguards, water safety instructors and a seniors swimming program.

Kennedy features a 212-step slide, two spring diving boards and three tube slides. Marcus has two smaller tube slides and a spring diving board. Carver has spray pads for children and animal-shaped water founts that spray water like a fountain but have no standing water because it is channeled through a floor drain.

Joe Cox, recreation supervisor for the city, cautions parents to never let their children swim alone. Cox said even though the pools are staffed by lifeguards they are there to prevent accidents not act as baby sitters.

Cox recommends parents get children enrolled in swimming lessons as young as 3 years old. There are six levels of swimming lessons starting with the infant/toddler program. This instruction teaches water safety and acquaintance. Additional classes gradually advances the degree of difficulty.

Classes are 45 minutes daily and last two weeks. They cost $22 for city residents and $33 for nonresidents. The last session of swimming lessons is from Aug. 6 to 17. But Cox said these lessons won't prepare a youngster for competitive swimming. For racing or diving, swimmers must enroll in the water athletics program.

"What I hear is we're really not open very much," Cox noted. "But we really are ... it depends on what you're interested in."

Cox advised residents to telephone ahead to check on pool schedules at the city Parks and Recreation Department's main number, 373-5243.

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William Roller can be reached at wroller@yumasun.com or 539-6858.