I don’t know about you but the single biggest investment I’ve made in my lifetime is my home. You’d be surprised at how many homeowners don’t take care of their largest investment. Routine home maintenance not only extends the life of your home but also helps ensure the safety of your home and family, reduces energy costs, keeps small repairs from turning into major expenses and can save you money on resale not only in increased value but fewer things found to repair following the home inspection.
I see a lot in my line of business and many of the most expensive unexpected repairs could be prevented by routine home inspection and maintenance. Below I am going to outline some large and some small things you can do to maintain your home.
Every 7-8 years you should have a reputable firm take a look at your roof. The roof boots that flash the plumbing and vent pipes coming out of the roof have a gasket between the boot and the pipe. The gasket deteriorates over time and needs to be replaced before you have water seeping into your roof and atic. Once that happens the chances of detecting the leak before it causes major damage is unlikely. This might set you back $300 – $400 dollars but it is money well spent.
Dryer vents need to be thoroughly cleaned at least once a year and I recommend that you vacuum under and around the dryer as well. One of the most frequent causes of appliance fires is failure to perform routine maintenance. Lint buildup in the dryer vent lines can ignite or can cause the dryer to overheat. The pipe that runs from the wall under the house to the outside has a vent attached to the wall outside. The vent has a grill that allows about marble size objects through. That grill is there to keep out pests but also catches large lint balls and causes buildup. This vent does two things, it is a fire hazard and also puts a strain on your dryer and could cause the unit to burn out. The fix is simple depending on how frequently you use your dryer. You need to take your shop vac and vacuum out what you can from the line. Since we have a toddler we do lots of laundry and I do this once every couple of months at my house. The best way to prevent this is to have the dryer vent hard piped when your house is built. (more…)
