Problems like leaky faucets, loose air vents and finicky furnaces are familiar frustrations for any homeowner. We’ll show you the most common causes and help you diagnose whether it’s a simple fix or something for a seasoned professional to handle.
After all, to know your home (and its foibles) is to love your home!
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Leaky Faucets
Leaky faucets are an inevitability of home ownership, and aren't that big a deal. You can usually fix these on your own with a wrench and a screwdriver. Often, the culprit is a busted washer or O-ring. To get inside the faucet for a look is pretty easy to do, provided you’re a wee bit handy. Popular Mechanics has a straightforward set of directions that start with turning off the water supply and show you how to take apart the mechanism so you can replace the washer and/or O-rings.
Clogged Sinks
Clogged sinks are just as common and can really ruin your day. Your P-trap is inside the pipes below the sink and can, over time, get clogged up. You can fix this by yourself, without the hassle or cost of hiring a professional, with these simple directions from BobVila.com:
—undo the nuts on the pipe and remove the P-trap
—dump the contents of the P-trap and clean it
—re-insert the P-trap, tightening everything up
Source: Pexels
Filthy Furnaces
Your furnace is a homeowners best friend, but when it’s not doing what it’s supposed to, it can feel more like a frenemy. The most common issue with furnaces is filthy filters. A furnace with a dirty filter is very inefficient, and the fix is, well, change the filter. Many homeowners don’t do this regularly enough. The folks at BobVila.com suggest changing filters once a month. You also might want to check if the battery needs replacing, since not all furnaces are connected to your home’s electrical system.
Asbestos Alert
If you own an older home, you might have concerns about asbestos, and rightfully so. The once-popular insulation material damages lung tissue and, in worst-case scenarios, causes cancer. Removing asbestos, however, isn’t easy, and you shouldn’t try to tackle that challenge alone. This article by the This Old House crew should convince you that going after the asbestos in your home is a task best left to the pros.
Source: Wikimedia
Roof Repair
There are so many safety issues to consider when undertaking a roofing project – from ladders and hammers to pneumatic nail guns — that it’s not the best DIY idea. The other problem with Doing your own roofing a how tough it is to do and, more importantly, how tough it is to do well. Plus, life’s too short to risk falling off a roof.
For more information on how to keep your home working in perfect harmony, check out Enercare here.