Archive for the ‘Home Services’ category

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Has Time been Cruel to Your Basement?

February 20th, 2012

When you decide to make improvements to your home, odds are you are doing so for one of a few different reasons. Some people want to fix up the home in order to make it more attractive to buyers. Others want to make home improvements to make the home more functional, and still others make the improvements because of the damaging effects that certain problems can have on the condition of the space. The basement is a major target area for many homeowners. It has been estimated that up to 60% of homes in the United States experience water in the basement of their home. Water is destructive and could even harm your health if mold takes advantage of the plentiful water source in your basement.

Developing Problems Over the Years

Many homes develop water problems in their basements over the years. Originally the home may not have had any issues in this area, but time is cruel to the foundation of your home. What may be a small crack that doesn’t extend through the foundation can develop into a significant leak if given time. Rain water gets into these cracks and washes away layer after layer of concrete until suddenly water is seeping into the home. For other homes, simply being built in a low lying part of town is enough to give them 2 feet of water in their basement. Luckily, you can divert this water with the proper tools. » Read more: Has Time been Cruel to Your Basement?

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Posted in Home Improvements, Home Services, Plumbing

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Water Hammer Woes

February 15th, 2012

Does your plumbing system suffer from water hammer? Is there a loud banging throughout the home every time a faucet is shut off? Have you been ignoring the noise in hopes that it will go away on its own? Well, if so, your hopes have been in vain. Water hammer is a serious plumbing problem that will only cause bigger problems if left unattended. Depending on the age of your home, you can probably guess which of the two major causes of water hammer that is plaguing your home. The repair or maintenance checkup must be performed by a professional plumber if you will have any hope of seeing this problem eliminated in your home.

Solving Your Air Hammer Problems

When there is not adequate ventilation within your pipe system, abruptly shutting off the flow of water will cause backlash throughout the plumbing system. This reverberation is what causes the hammering noise and it can cause real damage to your pipes if not taken care of quickly. » Read more: Water Hammer Woes

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Posted in Home Repairs, Home Services, Maintenace, Plumbing

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Filters Filling Up Too Fast

February 6th, 2012

With all of the things that have to be taken care of around the home, we could all use a little help simplifying things if possible. When it comes to maintaining the furnace and air conditioner in your home, changing the filter is a simple task that will help the unit function properly. However, remembering to change that filter can become a bit of a hassle. Put it off for too long and suddenly the furnace no longer works properly.

Upgrading Your Filter

So, you go out of your way and spend more on a fancy filter that should last you 3 to 6 months instead of just one. You check on it after 30 days just to see how everything is working only to find that the filter is filthy and already needs to be replaced. Is there something wrong with that filter or could there be bigger indoor air quality issues at hand? » Read more: Filters Filling Up Too Fast

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Posted in Air Conditioning, Air Quality, Duct Cleaning, Furnace, Home Services

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Did the Clean Up Crew Miss a Spot?

January 30th, 2012

Remodeling projects and repairs leave a big mess in the home especially if the repairs involve drywall. Drywall dust and debris can get all over everything and if your contractors did not take the necessary steps to prevent making a mess, you could have this stuff all over your home and the clean up won’t be easy. You may think that they cleaned everything up but a few cycles of the furnace will prove that they missed a very big spot. The duct work and the furnace are probably filled with debris from your construction project and the only way to get rid of it is to have a professional cleaning performed.

HVAC Clean Up:

  • Duct Cleaning: Every time air circulates through the home it will pick up debris from the job that was done. This along with years of dust and other debris may be lurking in your HVAC reeking havoc on the air quality in your home. A professional duct cleaning will clear out everything that is inside your ducts and collect it safely outside the home for disposal. This will leave you with much cleaner air inside the home.
  • Heating and Cooling Systems: Now that the ducts are clean lets take a look at the furnace and air conditioner. Many homeowners use cheap fiberglass filters that do little to protect the furnace from the particles that flow through the air in the home. All of that construction debris may have found its way into your heating and cooling systems and it needs to be cleared out. A dirty furnace or air conditioner cannot do its job properly or in an efficient matter. You will end up wasting money on excess energy use that could have been prevented with a simple cleaning. » Read more: Did the Clean Up Crew Miss a Spot?

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Posted in Air Conditioning, Air Purifier, Air Quality, Duct Cleaning, Heating, Home Services, Maintenace

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New Year, New Home!

January 25th, 2012

The beginning of a new year is usually taken a symbol of new beginnings, and maybe 2012 can be a year of new beginnings for your home. We all have our to- do lists and if you haven’t done much to make that list shrink odds are it is just getting bigger. These problems are not going to solve themselves, and we need to be honest when it comes to our limits as amateur handymen and women. Take a moment to assess your list or sit down and compile one if you haven’t done so already. Don’t just look at what you think you can handle, consider everything that goes into a job before you ever take it on. Over reaching could increase the cost of the repair and hiring a handyman pro may be a better option.

Consider This Before Tackling a Repair:

  • Time: Many of the jobs on your list will take more than a day to complete, especially if you have no experience with the repair. Many of us only have a couple days on the weekends to work with when it comes to finding time for these repairs, and if you don’t have the time, you need to accept that you are never going to get these jobs done on your own. The pros will be able to check many of those repairs off your list in one day!
  • Tools: Another aspect of performing repairs in the home is the supplies that are needed to complete the job. Many of us don’t have power tools, painting supplies, and other basic tools of the trade, and renting or buying them could make doing the repair on your own pointless. Consider all of your costs before taking on a job by yourself. » Read more: New Year, New Home!

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Posted in Contractors, Home Improvements, Home Repairs, Home Services, Plumbing

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Putting Off Plumbing Problems

January 23rd, 2012

You maintain the furnace at the beginning of every heating season and you check out the air conditioner before the heat of summer arrives, yet you neglect other major systems within the home. The plumbing system for example is one system that most homeowners do little to care for until something major goes wrong. A major plumbing problem is not only a major inconvenience within the home, but it can also cause an expensive mess. Take the time to have a professional perform a maintenance check on your plumbing system and you will prevent these problems and keep everything flowing in the right direction.

Plumbing Maintenance Checks

If you have minor plumbing issues like a toilet that clogs frequently or a water heater pilot light that goes out from time to time, a maintenance check may be all that is standing between you and a problem free plumbing system. Put the plunger down and get a pro to check out and clean your plumbing system. A true plumbing maintenance check will involve a thorough inspection of everything from your showers and kitchen sink to the sump pump and hot water heater. These are a few of the point that your professional should check:

  • Signs of corrosion: The hot water tank and old piping in the home are both susceptible to corrosion. You may need to have sections of the plumbing system replaced to prevent major leaks. Also, when it comes to the water tank, anything from an anode replacement to an entire hot water tank replacement could be possible. » Read more: Putting Off Plumbing Problems

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Posted in Home Services, Hot Water Tank, Maintenace, Plumbing

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Icicles Causing Power Outages

January 18th, 2012

If your neighborhood is prone to power outages, you may already know that wet, heavy snow and icicles can cause power outages during the winter months. Every neighborhood that experiences large amounts of snow fall or freezing temperatures is susceptible to these types of power outages. If you have ever had a power outage in the middle of the winter, you already know how terribly inconvenient they can be. They not only cut out the lights, but they also cut out the furnace and the sump pump. Depending on the extent of the outage, it may take days to return power to the home, and unless you want to cough up the money for a hotel or spend that time in an emergency warming shelter, we suggest seeking out alternatives.

An Alternative Power Source

An alternative to no power would be to have an automatic generator installed in your home. It would automatically kick on in the event that your home is cut off from the electrical grid. Through the use of natural gas, the system will create electricity for the various parts of the home that are hooked up to the generator. When this system is installed there are no extension cords to hook up or tanks of fuel to fill. Everything kicks on automatically and is hard wired into the home. » Read more: Icicles Causing Power Outages

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Posted in Consumer Protection, Furnace, Heating, Home Improvements, Home Services

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Going Green and Eliminating Water Waste

January 9th, 2012

If your home was built before 1990 and you haven’t replaced any of the original fixtures, odds are you are wasting tons of water with every flush of a toilet and turn of a dial. Old toilets and faucets use much more water than truly necessary for the needs of the home. An old toilet alone will waste around 17,300 gallons per year! That amount of waste not only takes a toll on your wallet every month, it also takes a toll on the condition of our planet. These appliances need to be upgraded to new low flow fixtures.

Traditional Vs Low Flow

The traditional toilet will use between 4 and 6 gallons with every flush, and that is way more water than is truly necessary to get waste out of your home. Nowadays, toilets must meet a government regulation that requires them to use only 1.6 gallons or less per flush of the toilet. You may have heard the many rumors that claim that these new toilets can’t handle the waste that they are intended to get rid of, but that is simply not the case. Early low flow toilets did have their fair share of problems, but these days, low flow toilets function as well if not better than your traditional wasteful toilet. » Read more: Going Green and Eliminating Water Waste

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Posted in Go Green, Home Services, Money Saving, Plumbing

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How Your Water Tank Prevents Erosion

January 2nd, 2012

The hot water tank seems to be a rather simple device. Water enters the tank, is heated by the burners, and then transferred throughout the home, but if you really think about it, how is it that the water tank is able to come in contact with so much water and remain rust and erosion resistant? For some homeowners, stopping the tank from eroding isn’t such an easy task. Although there problem usually lies in a lack of proper hot water tank maintenance. There is one very valuable part of the tank that is checked during a maintenance cleaning, and if this part is no longer doing its job, the tank will quickly become vulnerable to erosion. Don’t wait until the bottom of your tank rots out to find out you have a problem.

The Anode and Its Function

The part of your hot water tank that we are talking about is the anode. This vital component of your system sacrifices itself to corrosion and spares the integrity of the tank. However, over time, this part will lose this ability. The aluminum or magnesium that is being corroded will eventually be gone, and the tank itself will begin to break down. This can be prevented though by having the anode checked and replaced why necessary. Some home needs to have the anode replaced as frequently as every 4 years, but other can last up to 6 or 7 years before replacement is needed. Either way, you will not know when you anode needs replacement if you do not have the tank maintained yearly. » Read more: How Your Water Tank Prevents Erosion

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Posted in HVAC Repair, Heating, Home Services, Hot Water Tank, Maintenace, Plumbing

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Don’t Turn Off the Furnace!

December 28th, 2011

As you head out the door this holiday season to visit family and friends for an extended period of time, there is one crucial mistake that you must not make. Do not turn off the furnace. Many homeowners are looking for any way to save money, and you may assume that since no one will be home to need the comfort of the furnace, it won’t matter if it is shut down for a few days. However, you would be wrong! Leaving the furnace off during winter puts your home at serious risk for water damage, but it can be prevented!

How Your Pipes Will Freeze

When the furnace is turned off completely, the home has no protection against the elements. All you need is one extra chilly night to surround your home and suddenly you will have frozen pipes around the house. Within hours the temperature will begin to warm as the sun rises and those pipes will begin to thaw. The ice will have expanded the pipe and could have caused cracks that compromised the integrity of the pipe. As it thaws, water will begin to force its way through and the pressure may cause the pipe to burst! » Read more: Don’t Turn Off the Furnace!

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Posted in Boiler, Furnace, Heating, Home Services, Insulation, Money Saving, Plumbing, Safty

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