Accurate Home Inspections

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Every homeowner needs to know where their water shut off valve is located. This is the valve which will turn off the water supply to your home. 

This valve should never be operated, unless there is an emergency such as a flood, leak, frozen pipe, or repair being made. 

Every homeowner should know where their gas supply valve is located. This is the valve which will turn off gas to your home. This valve should never be operated by the home owner. Should there be a fire or gas leak, the homeowner should immediately advise the fire department where the valve is located. 

Periodically clean out your gutters. Keeping leaves and debris out of the gutters will keep leave and debris out of your downspouts, and help quickly remove water from your roof and foundation. 

Water is one of the most destructive forces on a home. Homeowners need to reduce the chance of water intruding in their homes by redirecting it way from structure and ensuring it properly drains away. 

Downspouts need to terminate several feet away from structure, at a minimum. 

The outside grade should be slopped away from your home, allowing gravity to draw water away from structure. 

Heating systems which move hot air, as well as air conditioner systems have filters which clean the air before it enters the blower. These filters need to be periodically replaced or cleaned. Heat pump cassettes have permanent filters, while furnaces typically have filters which can be replaced. Permanent filters should be cleaned around monthly, while permanent filters can be swapped ever two to three months. These time frames will change depending on how close you live to a busy street, how many trees are in your neighborhood, if you have pets, etc. They filter out the contaminates from the air, which prolong the life of your heater or air conditioner. They also have the added benefit of cleaning the air that we breath.

Before you purchase a filter read the owners manual of your heater or air conditioner, and purchase the filter that is specified. 

People often decide to opt for a MERV or HEPA filter, which filters more contaminants than a typical air filter. These require the fans in your furnace or air conditioner to work harder, and shorten the life of the appliance. 

Standard electric and gas dryers are both vented to the outside. This vent lets moisture and excess hot air escape. Inside the dryer is a lint trap. If this lint trap isn't routinely cleaned lint can get into the exhaust flue. Lint is extremely flammable and can cause a fire. 

Depending on how often you use your dryer, the flue should be cleaned, and the lint trap deep cleaned with a brush. A good contractor will install a flue cleanout in an easily accessible location.

With the proper tools, these are DIY friendly tasks.

(New heat pump electric dryers do not need to be vented)

If you lose power, especially in winter, shut off your main water supply, and drain your water pipes. 

When you lose power, you will lose heat. When this happens there is a possibility of your pipes freezing, depending on the weather and the length of them you are without power. Purging your pipes keeps them from bursting. 

How do you purge your pipes? Shut off your water main, the main water supply into your home. Open the highest water faucet in your home, and the lowest. Allow all water to empty out. Now, should the power in your home remain off, and the temperature remain below freezing, your pipes may freeze, but they will not burst. This can save you thousands of dollars and unimaginable stress, by preventing a flood.