September’s Checklist for Your Home:
We understand dreading home maintenance; however,
preventative care on your home will help ensure your property value, while helping
you jump hurdles of costly home repairs.
At the beginning of each month, you will receive a
newsletter from our company highlighting special tasks that you should complete
for the month. We have broken out these tasks per month to help you manage your
time and care for your home.
As always, we want to be there for you. If you have any
questions or concerns beyond what we mention here, please feel free to email or
call us.
September’s Home Care Checklist:
1
Check for leaking faucets inside your home:
a.
Simply go through your home and check each
faucet by turning them on and off. Look at both the faucet and handle itself
for no leaking or dripping. Also, look under the cabinet or faucet fixture to
make sure there are no hidden leaks. Do this in your bathroom, kitchen and
laundry room area.
b.
Level of difficulty, time & costs: Easy,
maybe 15 minutes, $0
2 Safeguard your water pipes:
a.
If you, in the past, have experienced frozen or
burst water lines, due to the arctic chill, this is the time to safeguard your
pipes. We recommend that, if your lines are against a foundational basement
wall, you consider additional insulation. Also, there are ways that you can
insulate pipes with heat tape or piping insulation. We, of course, can help
with these solutions, too.
b.
Level of difficulty and time: Medium, maybe 40
minutes, $50 for insulation
3 Drain your water heater:
a.
It is important for the health and life cycle of
your water heater that you drain it twice a year. It can be intimidating if you
have not done this before, but before you know it, you will be a pro. However, if
this is outside of your comfort zone, we understand and can help by putting you
on a bi-yearly water heater maintenance plan. If you are brave to tackle this
one on your own, below are the directions.
i.
Step 1:
Turn off Water Supply - If you have an electric water heater,
turn off the power at the breaker-box. If yours is a gas heater, turn the
thermostat to the "pilot" setting. Connect a hose to the drain valve
located close to the thermostat, but don't open the valve yet. Turn off the
cold-water supply that feeds the water-heater, which is typically located on a
line that feeds to the top of your tank.
ii.
Step
2: Drain the Hot Water - Inside your house, open
up one of the hot-water faucets in one of your sinks or tubs. This will prevent
a vacuum from forming in the lines. Go back to the water-heater, and open the
drain valve to drain the hot water out of the tank. Make sure the far end of
the hose is draining somewhere that won't be harmed by hot water; an outside
driveway is ideal, or a laundry tub drain.
iii.
Step
3:
Flush out the Remaining Sediment - Once the water stops flowing out of
the far end of the hose, turn the water supply back on. This will flush out any
remaining sediment left behind in the heater. Once the water runs clear from
the end of the hose, close the DRAIN valve. Don't forget to turn the hot-water
faucet inside your house back off. NOTE: The heating element could possibly blow if there is no water in the
tank. Some tanks may need to be completely full in order to prevent damage.
When in doubt, always read the warnings and instructions on the tank label
carefully because each tank may vary!
iv.
You're finished – call us with questions.
As always, we want to be there for you, so call us or email
us with any questions.
No comments:
Post a Comment