Purchasing a home becomes a big responsibility. There are many things that need to be done on a seasonal basis to adequately take care of your home. You should exercise great caution when doing things yourself although we recommend hiring a qualified professional to take care of any work that needs to be done.
I have composed a few maintenance and safety tips in addition to money saving ideas that often times homeowners tend to forget about:
1. Run all gas-powered lawn equipment until the fuel tank is empty.
By doing this, you are removing flammable liquid storage from your garage. At the same time, make sure you aren't storing dirty, oily rags in a pile. They can ignite spontaneously.
2. Plant a Tree.
Properly placed trees and shrubs act as wind breaks. Annual heating and cooling costs can be reduced by 25%.
3. Optimize Your Water Heater.
If you don't have one installed already, put an insulative jacket around your hot water heater, and insulate the pipes around the water heater. Insulative jackets cost between $10 and $20.
4. Make sure the caulking around doors and windows is adequate to reduce heat/cooling loss.
5. Have a certified chimney sweep inspect and clean the flues and check your fireplace damper.
Soot and creosote, which build up inside the chimney, can ignite when a fire is lit in the fireplace.
6. Replace your furnace filter.
Furnace filters need to be replaced frequently to allow your heating and cooling systems to operate properly.
7. Have a heating professional check your heating system every year.
Woodburning stove connector pipes and chimneys should be inspected by a certified chimney sweep at least annually.
8.Protect your home from frozen pipes.
9. Check all window and door locks for proper operation.
10. Check your home for water leaks.
11. Make sure there are working nightlights at the top and bottom of all stairs.
12. Inspect and clean dust from the covers of your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
13. Make sure that the caulking around your bathroom fixtures is adequate to prevent water from seeping into the sub-flooring.
14. Efflorescence - A white, salty deposit on the brick surface is a sign of water penetration. You can clean this with a stiff brush, or a brush with water. If hard deposits have formed, a chemical cleaner is needed. Do not power wash.
15. Use cold water more when washing clothes. If you can avoid using the hot water all the time on the washer, using cold water saves energy.
16. Defrost your freezer. Defrost your freezer if the ice is 5mm thick. This helps save more energy.
TIEMEYER TEAM REALTORS
Keller Williams
2701 Arbor Court
Richardson, Tx. 75082
Office: 972-470-0533
www.tiemeyerteam.com
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