Saturday, July 24, 2010
Drain your water tank annually.
http://www.homewarrantyreviews.com/home-maintenance-basics-video
Water tanks are something we rarely think about until you wake up to a cold shower. Here is a tip to extend the life of your water heater substantially.
First consider the temperature setting, mine sits at about 120 degrees but I don't have 3 girls in the house either, the dishwasher heats water to the temp required to sterilize dishes so what you need is enough hot water to shower, wash and clean generally. With 50 gallons of hot water (the label on your tank will tell you how much) you likely don't need to have it near scalding at 150 degrees. Every degree you move it up the more heat and energy is lost all day while it sits there waiting for you to draw it down. Why bother to have it so hot you need to mix a lot of cold in? Insulating pipes is a good idea but a challenge to get it done right. Copper pipes in a crawl space or slab are going to be cold. Heating them to 120 is better than 150 since they will cool off shortly anyway.
The second step here is to drain your tank annually to clear all the sediment buildup that will ultimately kill the tank and cost you $1000.00 or more. I see tanks 20 years old working well and I've seen 5 year old tanks being changed out due to lack of care or regular maintenance (turn it down when you go out of town or if the gas is off) The link provided will give you a series of steps to take when you want to drain that tank. Allow lots of time to let it drain all the way so turn it down, go and shower or use up the water and then drain what warm water remains on a saturday morning. Turn the water off that enters the tank after you have used what you need or there will be no pressure. Water tanks today are stainless steel inside and most of our pipes are copper now so rust isn't the big issue, what you need to clear is all the chemical residue or particulates in the water that build up over time. Flushing isn't requires just drain and refill once a year to maintain the water quality hot or cold.
One last note, in an earthquake you have 50 gallons of water waiting for you in this system, attach a hose or fill a jug but use it wisely you may need it for a week. Placing garbage bags in the toilet to be thrown away uses less water but the toilet will flush if you fill the tank at the back.
If you don't have an earthquake preparedness kit in place you need to work on it, I will pull a list together next week and post it here.
Water tanks are something we rarely think about until you wake up to a cold shower. Here is a tip to extend the life of your water heater substantially.
First consider the temperature setting, mine sits at about 120 degrees but I don't have 3 girls in the house either, the dishwasher heats water to the temp required to sterilize dishes so what you need is enough hot water to shower, wash and clean generally. With 50 gallons of hot water (the label on your tank will tell you how much) you likely don't need to have it near scalding at 150 degrees. Every degree you move it up the more heat and energy is lost all day while it sits there waiting for you to draw it down. Why bother to have it so hot you need to mix a lot of cold in? Insulating pipes is a good idea but a challenge to get it done right. Copper pipes in a crawl space or slab are going to be cold. Heating them to 120 is better than 150 since they will cool off shortly anyway.
The second step here is to drain your tank annually to clear all the sediment buildup that will ultimately kill the tank and cost you $1000.00 or more. I see tanks 20 years old working well and I've seen 5 year old tanks being changed out due to lack of care or regular maintenance (turn it down when you go out of town or if the gas is off) The link provided will give you a series of steps to take when you want to drain that tank. Allow lots of time to let it drain all the way so turn it down, go and shower or use up the water and then drain what warm water remains on a saturday morning. Turn the water off that enters the tank after you have used what you need or there will be no pressure. Water tanks today are stainless steel inside and most of our pipes are copper now so rust isn't the big issue, what you need to clear is all the chemical residue or particulates in the water that build up over time. Flushing isn't requires just drain and refill once a year to maintain the water quality hot or cold.
One last note, in an earthquake you have 50 gallons of water waiting for you in this system, attach a hose or fill a jug but use it wisely you may need it for a week. Placing garbage bags in the toilet to be thrown away uses less water but the toilet will flush if you fill the tank at the back.
If you don't have an earthquake preparedness kit in place you need to work on it, I will pull a list together next week and post it here.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
When to Hire a Contractor
When to Hire a Contractor vs. Do It Yourself Work
Author: Jessi Moyle
It’s easy to look at a remodel or repair job and convince yourself you can handle it. Surely it can’t be that difficult to fix that leaky pipe….surely! Of course, it’s easy to look at some jobs and know there’s just no way you can tackle the project. Sure…go ahead and knock that wall out…but make certain it’s not a bearing wall. A what?
You’d find out soon enough what a bearing wall is when you remove it, because what it’s probably bearing is some of the roof truss load. Knock that wall out and you’re in for a big surprise…a big unpleasant surprise when you compromise the structural integrity of the house.
Deciding when to hire a contractor versus doing the job yourself is often clear, but not always. Jobs that require regulatory inspections, such as electrical and framing, usually must be completed by a licensed contractor. Large complex jobs such as adding a room are best left to the professionals.
But you can’t really say that all small jobs are ideal for the do it yourself homeowner. If you don’t know how to hang wallpaper, then odds are you’re going to make a mess out of the job. Instead of a beautiful new room, you get lumpy unattractive walls that make you think you’re seeing things where the designs don’t match along the seams. There’s nothing more aggravating than buying materials and spending time on a job only to have to redo the whole job over again. It’s expensive and time consuming.
In addition, you need to admit to yourself when you don’t have the right skills. If you you’ve never built kitchen cabinets or replaced a roof, the time to learn is not on your house. Building materials are expensive today and you don’t want to waste money. That kind of defeats the whole purpose of a do it yourself job, doesn’t it?
Other factors to keep in mind include the following.
• Do you have the right tools for the job?
• Can you safely do the job?
• Do you know all building regulation and permit requirements?
• Can you maintain a high quality?
• Do you have the knowledge needed to do the job?
• Do you know what materials are required?
• Do you have the time to complete the job? 1
These are just a few of the questions you need to ask yourself before you decide to repair that foundation crack or replace soffit. When you’re wife wants the bathroom remodeled, you might ask yourself if you are really up to tearing out the bathtub and or installing a new shower enclosure. You can’t do without the use of a bathroom for very long, so it’s wise to admit when you’re not sure you can handle the project.
I know….it may be hard to admit you don’t know everything. But do you want a nice remodel job, or the nightmare and expense of redoing a poorly done job? If your ego is wounded, just tell everyone you’re just too important at work to spend time remodeling. They may not believe it, but it’ll make you feel good anyway.
Sources:
(1) http://www.nari.org/homeowners/tips/doityourself.asp
Maintenance
Author: Jessi Moyle
It’s easy to look at a remodel or repair job and convince yourself you can handle it. Surely it can’t be that difficult to fix that leaky pipe….surely! Of course, it’s easy to look at some jobs and know there’s just no way you can tackle the project. Sure…go ahead and knock that wall out…but make certain it’s not a bearing wall. A what?
You’d find out soon enough what a bearing wall is when you remove it, because what it’s probably bearing is some of the roof truss load. Knock that wall out and you’re in for a big surprise…a big unpleasant surprise when you compromise the structural integrity of the house.
Deciding when to hire a contractor versus doing the job yourself is often clear, but not always. Jobs that require regulatory inspections, such as electrical and framing, usually must be completed by a licensed contractor. Large complex jobs such as adding a room are best left to the professionals.
But you can’t really say that all small jobs are ideal for the do it yourself homeowner. If you don’t know how to hang wallpaper, then odds are you’re going to make a mess out of the job. Instead of a beautiful new room, you get lumpy unattractive walls that make you think you’re seeing things where the designs don’t match along the seams. There’s nothing more aggravating than buying materials and spending time on a job only to have to redo the whole job over again. It’s expensive and time consuming.
In addition, you need to admit to yourself when you don’t have the right skills. If you you’ve never built kitchen cabinets or replaced a roof, the time to learn is not on your house. Building materials are expensive today and you don’t want to waste money. That kind of defeats the whole purpose of a do it yourself job, doesn’t it?
Other factors to keep in mind include the following.
• Do you have the right tools for the job?
• Can you safely do the job?
• Do you know all building regulation and permit requirements?
• Can you maintain a high quality?
• Do you have the knowledge needed to do the job?
• Do you know what materials are required?
• Do you have the time to complete the job? 1
These are just a few of the questions you need to ask yourself before you decide to repair that foundation crack or replace soffit. When you’re wife wants the bathroom remodeled, you might ask yourself if you are really up to tearing out the bathtub and or installing a new shower enclosure. You can’t do without the use of a bathroom for very long, so it’s wise to admit when you’re not sure you can handle the project.
I know….it may be hard to admit you don’t know everything. But do you want a nice remodel job, or the nightmare and expense of redoing a poorly done job? If your ego is wounded, just tell everyone you’re just too important at work to spend time remodeling. They may not believe it, but it’ll make you feel good anyway.
Sources:
(1) http://www.nari.org/homeowners/tips/doityourself.asp
Maintenance
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