Simple & Easy Home Maintenance Tips
There's an old saying: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This is especially true in your home. Preventative maintenance takes just a few minutes of time, but can keep your family safe and minimize costly repairs in the future. If you want to avoid unpleasant situations like a flooded laundry room or a thermostat that roasts or freezes everyone inside, check out these easy tips.
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Washing Machine:-Cracked or defective/leaky washing machine hoses are one of the leading causes for Homeowners Insurance claims. Check your hoses periodically for leaks, and replace plastic hoses every three years.
-Make sure that the drain hose is secured to the washing machine outlet box. If not secured properly, the pressure could cause the hose to jump out of the drain outlet when the pump activates, spilling tremendous volumes of water onto your floor.
Refrigerator:
-The small water line that goes from your refrigerator-called a capillary line-can easily become kinked. Plastic lines also become brittle from use, which leads to leaks. Both situations can cause extensive damage to the walls, floor, and cabinets around the refrigerator. Be sure to check and periodically replace brittle lines and check metal lines for crimps or kinks
Pipes:
-Know where your water cut-off valves are located, and know the difference between the outside water cut-off and the inside water cut-off in case of emergency.
-If leaving your home for extended periods during winter months, set your thermostat at approx. 60 degrees and leave your cabinet doors open inside. As an added precaution, turn the water off. If the pipes do freeze, turn the heat up, open all cabinet doors, and close your crawlspace vents.
Water Heater:
-Always shut off the power or gas before doing anything to your water heater.
-At least once a year, drain water from the tank to remove sediment buildup.
-If your water heater is gas, periodically inspect the water heater burner. The flame under the heater should appear blue with yellow tips. If it's mostly yellow, or if it's sooty under there, your flue may be clogged, which is a dangerous situation.
-At least once a year, have your water heater inspected by a service technician.
Humidifiers:
-A neglected in-duct humidifier can breed mildew and bacteria or add too much moisture to a house. After the heating season ends, don't forget to pull the plug, shut the water valve and drain the unit. If the unit has a water reservoir, drain and clean it with white vinegar, a mix of one part chlorine bleach to eight parts water or muriatic acid.
Hope you find these tips to be informative and will pass them along to your clients. Working together, we can reduce claim cost.
