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Spring ​Home Maintenance Tips

2/26/2018

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​Home Maintenance Tips

Fix fences, tighten your home’s energy efficiency, repair a screen door and make 8 cheap, fun improvements to give your home’s entrance some spring sparkle. 

Finally, it’s spring. To celebrate, do a few improvements indoors — tweaking your home’s energy efficiency and getting doors to operate smoothly — and then get outdoors to do some work that shows off your home’s exterior. Install a new screen door or repair an old one. Maintain fireplaces and gas appliances while avoiding the scammers who pop out of the woodwork like bugs this season. Repair fences. Remove stubborn stains from concrete garage floors, patios and sidewalks. And try one or all of our eight cheap and fun ways to give your home’s entrance some exciting spring sparkle.

Inside

Install a programmable thermostat:
Energy is wasted when you push up the temperature when the room feels cold or turn down the heat manually when it’s too warm. A programmable thermostat lets you set the temperature in your home, then leave it. The most useful products give you options for establishing different temperatures for day and night (62 at night, for example, and 65 during the day), weekdays and weekends (keep the house cooler while you're away at work and warmer when you're home) and also let you turn the heat way down during vacations without changing your daily settings. 

Cut energy expenses further:
While you are in the mood to reduce energy consumption, call your electric utility and/or your heating-fuel company to ask about financial incentives for installing energy-efficient appliances or improvements. Some utilities subsidize the cost of improvements: adding insulation or weather-stripping, or installing that programmable thermostat, for example. Others give rebates for purchasing Energy Star appliances such as water heaters, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, heat pumps and fans. Also, remember to take the federal tax credit for such. 

Straighten out problem doors:
Walk around the house with a can of silicone lubricant and a rag, trying each door. If a door is sticky, open it part way and pull the hinge pin out. The pin is found in the center of the hinge, in the joint between the plate on the wall and the one on the door. Lightly oil the pin and the hole into which it will fit, using the rag to stop drips. Drop the pin back in place. If a pin is stuck in a hinge, use a hammer and small screwdriver to knock it all the way out. Sand off accumulated oil, dust and rust from pin and lightly lubricate it before reinstalling. You may have to do this with both pins. 

Outside
Repair or replace screen doors:
Get ready for bug season by hanging screen doors. You can repair torn screens yourself: 
Measure the screen opening. You'll need overage, so add at least an inch to each side. Bring the measurements to a hardware store and purchase a new length of screen. 
The screen is held in place by a flexible cord fitted into a channel that runs around the screen frame. Lift out the cord. If it is old and brittle, measure it and buy new cord at the hardware store. 
Place the new screen over the opening, fit it snugly in place by settling the cord in its channel around the entire opening (poke it in place with a screwdriver). Trim the excess screen with scissors or a box cutter. 
Many Hardware stores sell kits for replacing screens today check with your local store. 

Install a chimney/rain cap:
You could send out an invitation to birds and squirrels to come nest in the warmth of your chimney, or you could install a cap to protect the stack from dripping rain and uninvited critters. A cap, sometimes called a “crown,” shelters the opening while it lets smoke escape. A cap prevents wind from entering your home and helps create a good draft that feeds your fireplace or stove with oxygen. Metal chimneys usually come with caps, but if yours doesn't have one, ask the manufacturer for advice. Caps are not appropriate for all chimneys. Ask your chimney sweep to inspect the chimney each year for damage and to advise you on whether to install a cap. 

Beware chimney-sweep scams:
Yes, you should have your chimney swept by a professional to remove flammable creosote that builds up inside the flue from wood smoke. (If you don’t use the stove or fireplace much, you can wait two to three years between cleanings.) But not every chimney sweep is right out of “Mary Poppins.” Door-to-door scammers prey on homeowners, dangling deliciously low prices, then pressuring owners into “repairing” expensive but fictitious problems. Protect yourself by using a chimney sweep with an established business in your town. Check a company’s track record through the Better Business Bureau and locate certified sweeps at the www.wettinc.ca

Have gas-burning furnaces and appliances inspected:
Every year a licensed gas technician should clean out dust and debris and examine the appliance for safety, efficiency and repairs. Find a repair pro through your gas company or utility or search the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association's in your area.

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March Home Maintenance Tips

2/26/2018

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It’s time to see what winter’s wind, rain and snow have done to your home and make fixes quickly to head off  spring water-related damage. First, head outside.
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Outside:
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  • Spiff up the front entry. One way to stay on top of your home’s maintenance and protect your investment is to look at it as though you’re a stranger considering it for purchase. Perform repairs as the need arises and try each year to add a little to the home’s attractiveness on the outside. One good way to boost curb appeal, as real-estate agents call it, is to make the entrance more appealing. Once the weather is dry, check steps, decks and porches for wood rot and peeling paint. Repaint railings  nd porch steps yearly with durable deck or concrete paint. Wash winter grime and dust off the front door and door frame. Repaint or stain the front door to protect wood doors and give the whole home a little face lift.
 
  • Check for roof dams. Now that the worst of the weather is behind us, pull a ladder up to the roof to check the valleys and remove accumulations of leaves, sticks, tree needles and other debris. Similar to the dangers posed by melting snow on a roof, dammed-up debris can let moisture penetrate the roofing and reach into structural timbers and walls, causing rot and mold. Also, check the flashing's  around roof joints, chimneys, skylights and other structures that penetrate a roof for holes or rust. Make repairs or call a professional roofer.
 
  • Book a home inspector. The only time most folks meet a home inspector is during the sale of their home. But by then, you’re learning about troubles too late. To stay on top of your home’s maintenance and head off expensive repairs, hire a home inspector to scrutinize your home from top to bottom. Cost: $250 to $450. Tag along on the inspection so you can see any problems for yourself and learn about your home by asking questions. The inspection will give you either peace of mind that everything’s in good shape or a list of chores to be done. Ask the inspector to help you prioritize the repair.                             

Indoors: Now move indoors to complete your moisture-detective tour and perform some other TLC.

Banish household smells
  • Clean the garbage disposal.   It’s good to get in the habit of doing this monthly. Pour a cup of  vinegar into an ice cube tray, fill up the rest of the tray with water and stick it in the freezer. When the solution has frozen, pop out the vinegar ice cubes and place them in the disposal with chopped up lemons. Turn it on and let the ice cubes scrub the disposal as they are ground up. The vinegar will remove accumulated grease and eliminate odors coming from the disposal. Clean all drains, including the disposal, two or three times a year by pouring in equal parts salt, baking soda and vinegar, followed about 30 seconds later by two quarts of               boiling water.
  • Clean or replace garbage cans and pails. Check garbage containers inside and out for cracks and breakage. Replace cracked or broken outdoor cans and use bungee cords to keep lids closed tightly. Take the kitchen garbage pail outside, sprinkle in a half-cup of baking soda and fill the can with hot water. Let sit for an hour, and then dump out the water and use spray cleanser to wipe down the can inside and out. Dry it thoroughly before putting it back in the kitchen. Clean the refrigerator by removing everything and washing down the inside with hot water and baking soda.
 
  • Eliminate bathroom, kitchen and laundry smells. Trapped moisture encourages smelly mildew, mold and rot, which can create odors in the kitchen, laundry and bathrooms. Thoroughly inspect each of these rooms for cracks and breakage in grout and caulking that let water seep behind tile and flooring.  Check appliances for plumbing leaks by looking for moisture under or around sinks, tubs, washer, dryer, shower and toilets. 
  • If you have a front load clothes washer inspect and clean the rubber booth, in most cases you can pull the boot back and clean around the boot, and you might even find that lost sock. Check for toilet leaks: Add a few drops of food coloring into the tank (not the bowl) of a toilet. Don’t flush. Come back in an hour to see if any of the color has reached the toilet bowl. If it has, you probably need to replace the flapper in the tank. If water is collecting around the base of the toilet, the seal – the wax gasket between the toilet and floor – may have failed and need to be replaced.
Install a simple water-saving devices:
  • Aerators. Kitchen and bathroom faucets consume a great deal of water. Trim your home’s water usage by installing aerators in the faucet heads. Some shower heads accept aerators, too. Aerators mix air into the water to maintain good water pressure while reducing the amount of water flowing through the faucet. They cost $2 to $3 at a hardware store. To install, screw the aerators onto the  faucet tip. If you already have aerators on your faucets, remember to remove them annually to clean off any mineral deposits that can clog the screw-on screen and interfere with your water flow. Just toss and replace badly clogged aerators.

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Winter Home Preventive Maintenance Checklist

2/19/2018

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  • How often do you perform home preventive maintenance on the outside of your house in February? When the windchill is -6 degrees Fahrenheit I’m not in the mood to pull out my  home inspection form. But having a home preventive maintenance checklist is the smart way to avoid big problems like dryer fires, electrical hazards, and mold issues.
    Your car has a maintenance schedule. Why shouldn’t your house have one? Your car is a depreciating heap of metal that kids throw up on and groceries carts dent. A home is (hopefully) an appreciating asset that you throw parties in and can enjoy for 30 or more years. This post shares 9 tips that will help you keep your house safe through the month of February.
    Winter Home Preventive Maintenance Checklist Tip #1: Ice Dam Inspection Ice dams are caused by your gutters and downspouts being clogged. When it snows, then thaws, then gets cold again the water that should have drained didn’t. And when it sits in the gutters it will freeze as the temperature drops. The best way for you to avoid ice dams is to clean your gutters & downspouts twice yearly. Do this once in the fall after all the leaves have dropped to the ground and once in the spring around April.
    Why is preventing ice dams so important?
    1. The weight of the ice could detach the gutter. The gutter could fall and hurt you or a loved one.
    2. They will prevent water from draining properly off the roof. This water will then find its way into your house, which can lead to mold issues behind walls.
    Winter Home Preventive Maintenance Checklist Tip #2: Dryer Duct Exhaust Turn on your dryer, go outside, and check to see if the hot air is making its way outside. You can easily check this in the winter when the air is cold. The warm air will be clearly visible and should appear like fog from a 1987 Def Leopard concert.
    Why should your dryer duct exhaust be part of preventive maintenance? It’s unsafe for the exhaust to be clogged or blocked. The warmth from the dryer can’t escape and your dryer could overheat or cause a fire. Birds and mice love dryer vent exhausts because it’s warm and provides a safe home for them (but not for you!!) The best time to inspect your dryer exhaust vent is the winter but do it again in July or August when you clean out your dryer vents. Make sure the vent is properly secured to your house.
    Winter Home Preventive Maintenance Checklist Tip #3: Electric Meter Safety Do a visual inspection of your outside electric meter. Look for the following
    1. Meter openings that are closed and properly sealed (keeping moisture out is top priority)
    2. Ensure the meter is properly secured to your house
    3. Look for rust at the bottom of the meter or meter box (indicator that water might be getting into the wrong places)
    4. Inspect the seal between the service entrance cable and top of your meter box (there should be duct seal at this junction)
    If you see anything that looks unsafe pickup your phone and call your electric company. Typically the meter and meter box is their responsibility.
    The part of this home preventive maintenance tip is to make sure there is no rust on the inside or bottom of your breaker or fuse box. This indicates water is coming in from the outside and has created an electrical hazard. Call a qualified electrician ASAP.
    Winter Home Preventive Maintenance Checklist Tip #4: Furnace Exhaust Survey This is super easy to do if you have a newer high-efficiency furnace. High efficiency furnaces are vented to the outside using plastic pipes. Always make sure that snow and ice don’t block these pipes. Otherwise your high-efficiency furnace will shut down.
    Here’s what you need to do for furnace exhaust safety
    1. Make sure ice or snow isn’t blocking the exhaust vent if you have a high-efficiency furnace
    2. Run the furnace when it’s cold and check for vapor at the vent (this verifies proper venting)
    3. Call a qualified HVAC contractor to inspect older furnaces that are vented through the chimney
    4. Always have a qualified HVAC contractor inspect your furnace annually in October
    5. BIG TIP: Setup your HVAC appointment before winter begins in case a part needs to be ordered or you need to get quotes for a large repair (I learned this when we had to replace a boiler and boy was I lucky because I saved $2000 in the process)
    Winter Home Preventive Maintenance Checklist Tip #5: Electrical Wire Seals Cable, telephone, and other electrical wires that enter your house should be properly sealed. Otherwise your home will be drafty. Plus, small insects like ants, spiders, cockroaches, & termites will find small openings. How do you seal these spaces where wires enter your home? You can use Great Stuff insulating foam to seal all sorts of cracks or gaps. Another option is to use Duct Seal. This is a putty-like product that can be molded into gaps to stop moisture and pest infiltration.
    Winter Home Preventive Maintenance Checklist Tip #6: Gas Line Safety Check Have you ever seen a gas line leak? Probably not since it’s virtually undetectable to the human eye UNLESS you use bubbles (but chances are you will smell it). Mix up a 50/50 solution of water and Dawn dishwashing soap. Spray every fitting on your gas meter outside the house. If you see any bubbles forming on the fittings this is sign there’s a gas leak. Call your gas company to see if it’s their responsibility or yours. Hopefully it’s their duty to fix the issue but if it’s not you’re kind of up the creek and will need to call a plumber.
    Winter Home Preventive Maintenance Checklist Tip #7: Exterior GFCI TestingHome preventive maintenance Tip #3 dealt with your electrical meter box. GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) outlets are just as important. I’ll keep it simple, exterior GFCIs keep you from being shocked and consequently adopting Doc Brown’s hairstyle from Back to the Future. The directions on any GFCI say you should press the Test button once a month to make sure it will trip and shut off electricity. After pressing the Test button you can restore the electricity by pressing the Reset button.
    Winter Home Preventive Maintenance Checklist Tip #8: Oven Hood Exhaust This preventive maintenance tip is probably the easiest. Just look to see if anything is obstructing the exhaust. Chances are the answer will be no but you can never say never (primarily because of Murphy’s Law which states anything that can go wrong will go wrong). At the very least turn on your oven’s hood fan and see if the exhaust is blowing outside.
    Winter Home Preventive Maintenance Checklist Tip #9: Tree Branch Hazards This last tip is only if you’ve got trees on your lot. If there was a 50 foot oak tree in your backyard that looked like something from Harry Potter would you be concerned? I’m in this situation and it frankly scares the bejesus out of me because if this tree falls on the house it will be a disaster. There are so many tree branches on it that have fallen, too. And I’m not talking about tiny ones. There’ve been 10 foot sections that are 3-4 inches thick that have plummeted to the ground. If these had dropped on one of our kids we’d be calling an ambulance. Do a visual inspection of your tree branches to see if any are broken or teetering loose. You can also use binoculars to get a closer look. If it’s unsafe for you to remove the tree limbs you can call an arborist who specializes in all things related to tree trimming.


    So these are 9 home preventive maintenance checklist tips you can do on the outside of your house in less than 20 minutes. You’ll discover they’re easy to perform and will make you feel safer.
    Remember, your house is probably your biggest asset. Keep it that way.


  • Article Written By HomeRepairTutor.com — Original Source: http://www.homerepairtutor.com/home-preventive-maintenance-for-february/.  To sign up for the home repair newsletter visit homerepairtutor.com.
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February Home Maintenance Tips

2/12/2018

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The transition between winter and spring is the time to get a jump on moisture damage and heat loss, make quick work of organizing storage areas and work in some garden prep before spring.
Don’t let winter slip away without using the cold, wet weather to help you detect where your home is leaking water and heat, giving you a chance to seal it up tight and develop a wish list for energy-saving improvements. Your first order of business inside your home is to make sure no water is getting in.

Carefully check every spot where condensation or water could enter your living areas and storage spaces.
Take along a pad of paper and a pencil and take detailed notes as you scrutinize ceilings, under the roof, under the eaves and along window and door frames and ventilation seals. Be particularly careful to check under toilets, sinks, tubs and showers. Use a flashlight to check the crawl space or basement walls and floors and the underside of the first-story floor. You’re looking for visible moisture and for stains caused by moisture. When you find something, the remedy will depend on the source of the leak. You may just need to re-caulk around a tub or window, or you may need to call a plumber to replace a leaking fixture.

Here are some other tasks to tackle inside your home this month:

Change the shower curtain. While you’re checking for leaks in the bathroom, see if the shower curtain needs replacing. Damp shower curtains can grow unhealthy mold and mildew and contribute to mold problems in the tub and shower, so swap yours out periodically and make sure to open and air out the shower enclosure when you’re done bathing.

Batten down the hatches. Find and seal energy leaks. Grab a pad and pencil to note any spots that you can’t address right away. Arm yourself with a tube of caulk to fill small cracks and a spray can of insulating foam sealer for larger gaps. Tour your home feeling for cold air entering through cracks in chimneys and window and door frames, and cracks around appliance vents, electrical and plumbing fixtures and furnace ducts. Remedies might include adding weatherstripping to a door frame or applying fresh caulk to window frames.

Clean out storage areas. Get a head start on spring cleaning by attacking a cluttered storage space. Whether you go after the garage, attic, laundry room or garden shed, your home benefits when you get rid of rusting tools, leaking fluids and household chemicals. Start by taking everything out of the space and piling it up outside or in the garage. Clean the empty space, then go through the items, trying to let go of everything you haven’t used in the last year. Make four piles: stuff to keep, trash, donations and recycling, and hazardous waste. Open paint cans to dry the paint completely before disposing. Recycle batteries so the lead they contain doesn’t contaminate ground water. Rules for disposal vary by locale. Call your waste-disposal company or the county landfill to learn where and how to dispose of hazardous waste.

Get a fire extinguisher. Better yet, get several. Buy fire extinguishers for each type of fire you might encounter at home and place them where you’ll need them. For example, use the A-B-C class for living areas and in workshops and garages. For the kitchen, get a specialized extinguisher capable of putting out class B (grease) and C (electrical) fires. For living and sleeping areas and fireplaces, get a multipurpose A-B-C that also works on fires consuming wood, cloth, trash and paper. Inspect extinguishers regularly to ensure the gauges read 100%. If your not sure about your current fire extinguisher you can stop by any fire hall/station and the fire men can have a look at it for you.

Outside:
February is a transitional month in much of Missouri. Winter storms may continue to cause damage to home exteriors and landscaping.
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Check for storm damage. While you’re outside, walk around the house looking for missing or damaged siding and shingles. Remove fallen branches and storm debris from around the house. Keep snow clear of gas meters, gas appliance vents, exhaust vents and basement windows.

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First-N- Home Inspection LLC
 Professionally Insured and Licensed
Bill Rogers
Rolla, MO
573-578-0502
Member: NSHI & NAIS 
South Central Board of Realtors


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