End-of-summer maintenance tips will preserve your home sweet home

Image courtesy of Pixabay

Taking care of your house can seem like a never ending to-do list.  Here is a handy guide for tending your most important preventative maintenance tasks before cooler weather hits.

Prevent frozen pipes.  According to Redfin, there are several steps you can take to prevent the water lines in your home from freezing and bursting.  
● Prepare. Cut blocks of foam insulation to block foundation vents that lead to crawl spaces.  Know where your water shut-off valve is in case a line bursts.  
● Adjust your thermostat.  If you are expecting an extreme cold snap, set aside concerns for your heating bill and turn up the temperature in your home.  Keeping your pipes from freezing prevents costly repairs.  
● Add insulation. You can add insulation to unheated areas that house water lines.  Pay attention to areas such as crawl spaces and attics.  
● Install heat tape. You can purchase heat tape at a home center, hardware store or electrical supply house.  Install it along water lines according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  
● Add a space heater.  During cold snaps, you can add a space heater to areas of concern.
● Open cabinet doors. Opening the doors on kitchen and bathroom cabinets allows warm, interior air to flow around pipes.  This is especially important for pipes on exterior walls.


Replace air filters. Changing the air filters on your heating and cooling system can prolong the life of the units and keep them running more efficiently.  The experts at Angie’s List explain that you can save between 5 percent and 15 percent on your utility bills.  Not only that, you’ll keep the air in your home cleaner.  
How often?  Some experts suggest changing the air filters in your furnace in accordance with what kind you have.  Inexpensive fiberglass filters in cardboard frames last one to two months.  Pleated paper filters last four months to a year.  Check your manufacturer’s instructions to be sure on what timeline is best for you.  Here is how to change your furnace’s air filter:
1. Turn off the furnace.
2. Locate and remove the unit’s service panel.
3. Locate the used filter near the intake/outtake blower fan.
4. Slide out the used filter.
5. Slide in the new filter.
6. Replace the service panel.
7. Turn the unit back on.


Check safety devices.  Upkeep of your home’s safety devices could save your life. Change the batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors every six months and replace the units every ten years.  Clean the units in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions.  You should also check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to ensure they are functioning properly.  

Here is how:  
Smoke detectors. According to some experts, pressing the “test” button is not sufficient for checking your smoke detector.  Instead, you should use real smoke.  Hold a burned out match or two under the unit and allow the smoke to waft towards it.  If your alarm’s manufacturer discourages using a flame near the unit, purchase a can of smoke to test the device. 
Carbon monoxide detectors.  Some experts recommendtaking the following steps to test your carbon monoxide detector:
1. Press the “test” button to make sure it is receiving power.
2. If you have a unit with a digital readout, test the sensor with a low-level source of carbon monoxide, such as a lit cigarette.  Waft it within eight inches of the alarm.  
3. For non-digital carbon monoxide detectors, purchase a test kit.  You should be able to purchase these kits at the same supplier where you purchased your detector.


Your best preventative maintenance.  By tending to some basic maintenance your home will run more efficiently, and you can avert costly repairs.  Prevent frozen pipes, replace air filters in your home, and check your safety devices.  Take care of these items before wintry weather arrives so you can rest easy.

Author

Mr. Denikin is passionate about sharing his experiences working on DIY projects to benefit people with special needs children.
www.FranchiseHomeBoss.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Emergency Preparedness: How Home Inspectors Can Help Their Clients

Image
Whether you're facing rising floodwaters or a wildfire that’s too close for comfort, many homeowners confront seasonal threats to their safety that force them to flee their properties, at least temporarily.  In the last three years alone, damage created by severe weather and natural disasters in the U.S. has reached the tens of billions of dollars, as well as caused hundreds of deaths. www.HomeBossInspection.com www.FLBOSS.com      In the fall of 2010, Boulder County, Colorado, experienced its worst wildfire in history with the Fourmile Canyon fire, which incinerated 135 homes in just three days after forcing 3,500 people to evacuate.  In the spring of 2011, a record 165 tornadoes were recorded in a 24-hour period in the South, killing more than 300 people across six states.  In April and May, the Mississippi River breached its banks in areas across six states that are home to many battles and graves of the Civil War, reaching levels not seen in 84...
Read more

Inspecting Gutters and Downspouts

Image
  According to  InterNACHI's Home Inspection Standards of Practice , home inspectors are required to inspect the gutters and downspouts as part of the roof portion of the home inspection.   www.HomeBossInspection.com www.FLBoss.com Some important factors a home inspector should consider include: that the guttering system is adequately sized to prevent runoff; that the gutters are free of rust, cracks and holes in order to prevent leaking; and that the downspouts divert water 4 to 6 feet away from the home's foundation.             A few inches of rain falling on the roof of a house can produce several thousand gallons of water runoff. This runoff must be channeled away from the home's foundation. Otherwise, the excess water can quickly saturate the soil surrounding the building and wick through the foundation to the interior. (See Figure 1 below.) Once inside, this moisture can lead to a variety of problems, incl...
Read more

Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs)

Image
What is a GFCI? www.HomeBossInspection.com A ground-fault circuit interrupter, or GFCI, is a device used in electrical wiring to disconnect a circuit when unbalanced current is detected between an energized conductor and a neutral return conductor.  Such an imbalance is sometimes caused by current "leaking" through a person who is simultaneously in contact with a ground and an energized part of the circuit, which could result in lethal shock.   GFCIs are designed to provide protection in such a situation, unlike standard circuit breakers, which guard against overloads, short circuits and ground faults.   It is estimated that about 300 deaths by electrocution occur every year, so the use of GFCIs has been adopted in new construction, and recommended as an upgrade in older construction, in order to mitigate the possibility of injury or fatality from electric shock. History The first high-sensitivity system for dete...
Read more