Town Crier Articles

 

There are quite a few home maintenance things that even the most inept of us can do. Several of them involve plumbing.  From Jack, we learned how to stop a toilet or faucet from leaking by locating the valve behind the toilet or under the sink and turning it clockwise to turn off the water to prevent damage to the house.  Also, it is important to know the location of the valve that turns off water to your outside faucets. This is necessary to prevent those pipes from freezing in the winter, which can lead to a costly repair bill. (In my house the valve is in the garage on the outside wall.) When we have an extremely cold snap, like this past winter, Jack advised also temporally letting your inside faucets slowly drip and in unheated areas insulating your pipes by wrapping them.

 

There are some repairs or maintenance tasks we can all do. For instance, if your water is running slowly from the sink, use a plunger or a plumber’s snake tool, to pull out the blockage from the sink – both are well worth buying. A simple snake to pull out that pesky hair from the pipe is less than $5. If that does not work, look under the sink and you will see a u-shaped trap pipe, which might hold the blockage. Unscrew the nuts holding the trap and pull out the blockage. There are lots of YouTube videos on this and other maintenance tasks that will provide visual guidance and increase your confidence and save you from paying for a visit from a  plumber, who will charge at least $90 an hour.  

 

 

Another simple thing that all of us need to do every three months is  to replace the filters behind the HVAC grill, which is a specialized cover for the intake vents of our heating and air conditioning systems. They allow air to be pulled from a room back into the HVAC unit.  These filters help provide us with cleaner air and extend the life of our expensive furnaces and air conditioners.  

 

The HVAC return grills are the large square or rectangular vents on the walls or ceilings. There is one on every level of our homes and each filter has information about its size on it. You can buy the filters at local stores and replacing them is easy. You just open the return air grill, replace the old filter (it will be dirty!), and ensure the new filter is oriented in the correct direction. For safety, it is recommended to turn off your HVAC system at the thermostat before starting.   

 

 

IF YOU SMELL GAS.  Gas has strong, distinct odor like that of rotten eggs. If you smell it and or hear a hissing or blowing sound coming from your gas lines or appliances, you may have a gas leak, which is very dangerous – think house explosion.  You should get out of the house and call 911 and Virginia Natural Gas Company hotline 1-877-572-3342.  Do not use cell phones, light switches, or anything that could cause a spark around the smell area.

 

If possible, ask a neighbor for help in turning the gas off outside your house (requires a wrench). You should locate in advance the meter and valve. The gas meter is typically located outside your home (on the side or rear) where the gas line comes up from the ground. Look for the shut-off valve on the vertical pipe (riser) that goes into the ground before the regulator and meter. 

 

Keep a 12-inch or larger adjustable wrench or designated gas shut-off tool near your emergency supplies so it is ready in case of a leak. 

 

 

You should have a fire extinguisher under the sink in your kitchen. Create an evacuation plan with family members. If you have any kind of fire, call the fire department. Even if you put it out, they should check to make sure everything is safe.

 

Kitchen Fires:  If you are cooking with grease, never walk away from the stove. If you have a small cooking fire, use the fire extinguisher. Do not aim it directly at the fire but at the base of the fire. If  grease catches fire do not use water to put it out – use a fire blanket or fire extinguisher

 

Dryer Fires:  To prevent dryer fires be sure to clean the dryer filter of lint regularly and clean the vent system.

 

Electrical Fires:  Never plug window air conditioners into a power strip and avoid overloading power strips.

 

• If possible, keep your important papers in a fire-proof box. 
• If you take medications, put a list of them on your refrigerator, which will be incredibly helpful to those helping you if you have a medical emergency.
• Make a small investment in a few tools including a flat-head and Phillips screw drivers, maybe in two or more sizes; hammer; utility knife; pliers; and adjustable open-end wrench. Or you can shock your children by asking for, as a present, a home tool set.
• Finally, introduce yourself to your neighbors and exchange contact information. You never know when you or they may need help.