Plumbing Checks To Do Before Moving Into A New Home

So, you've found a house that you really like? Congratulations! However, just because it looks good, it doesn't mean that all the internals of it are in great shape. And this can't be more true when it comes to plumbing, since the old pipes and faulty installations are the easiest things to hide with a new facade. Therefore, even if you're already in love with your potential place, there are some plumbing checks to do before moving into a new home.

Why Plumbing Checks Are Necessary?

You likely don't know when was the last time that the previous owner had the plumbing system checked. For all you know, it could have happened years or even decades ago. And as we all know, if they're not maintained properly, pipes can easily get damaged. Then you'll end up with leaks, which bring more damage to your home.

Since that's something we want to avoid at all costs, it's important to have regular boiler checks. Therefore, if you just bought a new home, or preparing to buy one and aren't sure about your plumbing system, be sure to keep reading. We've prepared a list of things for you to consider and pay attention to. You'll learn what are the most commonly occurring problems and how to overcome them.

Plumbing checks to do before moving into a new home are an important thing to do to avoid any bigger expenses later on. 

Leaky Toilets And Taps

The first is probably not only one of the most common plumbing problems, but also the most annoying one. Especially when you're trying to sleep at night and the water keeps dripping and making the loudest sound possible. It may seem like a minor thing, but remember that a dripping tap can actually raise your water bill if left unchecked. So, that's why this is one of the plumbing checks to do before moving into a new home. With time, it worsens and the costs rise, so be sure to address it on time.

The story is pretty much the same when it comes to running toilets. This happens when the float is set too high. If this is happening, water spills into the overflow tube after the toilet is flushed, so it won't allow the fill valve to shut down. 

And since the toilets are the main sources of water usage in homes, leaving it running continuously will make your water bill skyrocket. Luckily, this is a common problem so it's easily fixed by a professional plumber.

Are There Any Lead Pipes In Your New Home?

Today, many people are leaving the city and settling down in a quiet small town in search of peace and escape from the city bustle. However, houses in these smaller towns are usually very old, which brings the possibility that lead pipes were used for its plumbing. At the time, it was a cost-effective solution and it seemed that they're extremely sturdy. Unfortunately, as time progressed, people have discovered how toxic lead is to humans, and how easily the drinking water can be contaminated if it runs through such pipes.

Lead in a high enough quantity can be a cause of death. So, if you're thinking about buying a house that predates the 1970s, be sure to call a plumber and have everything checked right away.

Make sure that you don't have any lead pipes in the house you're planning to buy. 

Make Sure That All The Pipes Are Insulated

If you live in a cold place, your pipes can easily freeze up during the winter months. Therefore, it's extremely important to check if the pipes have been properly lagged and protected from natural elements. Additionally, check if the boiler or the hot water tank is properly insulated as well.

If you find yourself in a situation where your pipes have frozen, you should try to defrost them. Most people call a professional at this point as they simply don't know what to do. However, you can achieve a lot with the things you have laying around the house. Using a hairdryer for the task is probably one of the best home maintenance tips there is. It will take some time, but it works and that's all you need.

Check For Water Damage

Next on our list of the plumbing checks to do before moving into a new home is looking for water damage and damp walls. Damp areas are a serious problem if you find them in your home, so many owners try to hide them in any way they can. So, be sure to take a good look at every corner when performing a home inspection.

The most probable locations for finding mold and damp walls are home extensions. These usually occur when they're done by builders that aren't professionals or when something is improperly fitted.

We don't have to explain to you that mold and mildew can be serious health hazards. Especially if someone in your family suffers from respiratory issues. Therefore, check hidden places such as behind the wall cavities, lofts, basements, and garages. While you're there, check for problems caused by leaky roofs or if there is any kind of water damage to the property.

It's worth mentioning that leaky pipes also can be the cause of water damage. So, not everything is a red flag, but you should be as careful as possible.

Mold and water damage aren't always alarming things, but they should be checked out. 

Find the internal stop tap

The final thing you need to know is where exactly your internal stop tap is. This is the only thing that can completely stop the water flow in your home, so it's very important in case of a problem. During a leak or flooding, this may be the only way to save most of your home. Therefore, it has to be operational and hopefully easily accessible at all times.

In general, it acts as an emergency stop button for your water system. Make sure to inform your family about its location, just as a precaution.

And there you have it - these are all the plumbing checks to do before moving into a new home. Call a professional plumber and let him check everything beforehand. If he tells you it's alright, you'll know that you're good to go.

Guest Contributor: Sophia Perry

6 Ways To "Spice" Your House Up For Fall

Fall is coming around the corner, which means it is time to start decorating and showing off the bright yellows, oranges and reds. There are numerous ways to make your house appealing by adding decorations to portray the beautiful season of fall.

Fall is full of bold and bright colors, adding them to your home is sure to make it festive and pop. There are numerous things you can add to your house, such as pumpkins, leaves, haystacks, yellow, orange or red flowers, signs, etc. The options are endless, but the way to make it pop is the way you display the colors.

Keep it simple with a white farmhouse theme.

Decorate your porch with pumpkins and lights to make it pop from street view.

Lots of leaves will give off the Fall vibes, and will eventually match the leaves that fall.

Lights will make your house pop and make everything glow, enhancing the colors.

You can keep it simple and fill your porch with fall related plants instead of the traditional pumpkins.

Keep it simple and use household items you can repurpose into a beautiful small fall decoration.

Guest Contributor: Tiffany Powell

Innovative Roofing Material Options for Your Home

Not all roofs are created equal, especially when it comes to sustainability.

A decade or so ago, asphalt shingles were the most popular roofing material, but recent innovations in roofing technology lead to the development of more eco-friendly roofing choices.

If you’re planning to replace your old roof, you’d be surprised at the range of newer options available. The roofing market has plenty of innovative offerings that will make you want to consider lesser-known but more sustainable alternatives to conventional roofing materials.

Aside from being eco-friendlier, most of these innovative roofing materials can outlast asphalt shingles and may even help lower your monthly energy consumption.

Here’s a list of available eco-friendly roofing options to choose from:

Metal Roofing: Where Style Meets Durability

Metal roofs are becoming more popular because they tend to last for a very long time. With proper care and maintenance, you won’t have to change your roof for at least 50 years.

One of the best things about this roofing option is that you can recycle them when it’s time to have them replaced. And then, you can further help the environment by buying a new roof made from recycled metal!

Metal roofs also reflect sunlight instead of absorbing it, which helps cool your home on the hotter months of the year. They are advantageous for homes in snowy areas too, as they help regulate the temperature during the winter season and prevent ice-dam formation because of their slippery surface.

Those who are aiming for a more polished look should go for a standing seam metal roof. 

Solar Shingles is The Future of Sustainable Roofing

Solar shingles serve a dual purpose – that of roofing material and solar panels. Earlier versions of solar shingles used thin solar films, but the latest ones are made from tempered glass or other similarly rigid materials.

The tougher make up of these newer types of solar shingles allow them to perform almost the same as conventional roofing materials. They are also easier to install, often without the need for specialized crew or equipment.

Obviously, the greatest advantage of using solar shingles is that your roof generates electricity during daytime, which helps cut household energy consumption costs. Solar shingles may require a bigger financial investment than other types of roofing materials, but it starts paying for itself as soon as it is installed.

Going Green with Green Roofs

A recent roofing innovation, green roofs, uses a waterproof membrane or layer to absorb water and allow planting of foliage or creating a garden on top of a home or building. Green roofs are not only unique and aesthetically pleasing; they are also very efficient insulators. They keep your place cool in the summer and warm in winter.

Aesthetically, green roofs add a unique appeal to your property and create a tranquil space for relaxation that also benefits the environment.

Roofs Made from Recycled Rubber

You may not have expected to find rubber in this list of eco-friendly roofing, but here it is.

Reinforced rubber shingles are made from recycled rubber – typically steel-belted tires, reducing rubber waste. They are coated with ground slate to improve their texture.

Because rubber is flexible and easy to work with, these shingles come in different styles and colors. They can mimic the look of traditional roofing materials such as wood, slate, and tiles.

Rubber roofs are also very durable. They can stand extreme weather conditions and can last up to 50 years.

White Roof – The Cool Roof

The color of your roof also affects its sustainability. Those who are living in the hotter areas of the country should consider a white-colored roof. White roofs are called cool roofs because they reflect most of the sun's rays, resulting in a cooling effect on the home.

Cool roofs help regulate the temperature, especially during the summer months, so you don't have to use or turn up the air conditioner as much as you used to. This contributes to a significant reduction in energy bills.

Roofing with Eco-friendly Materials

Homeowners who wish to improve their home’s sustainability will find themselves with plenty of options for eco-friendly roofing.

If you think one of these innovative options is right for you, make sure to consult and hire professionals with roofing contractors insurance and experience in installing the roofing material of your choice.

Working with a reliable like Mighty Dog Roofing West Nashville lessens the risk for mistakes and ensures that you get your money’s worth.

Guest Contributor: Rachel Porter

Preventative Maintenance And Why It's Important

Most of us like to enjoy our time at home putting our feet up and relaxing, letting the day or weeks stress melt away as we take some hard-earned time off. What we do not want to have to do is deal with faulty appliances and services that only serve to add more stress to the brief moments of brief calmness in our lives. The best way to avoid unexpected catastrophes at home is to perform preventative maintenance, this can be done yourself if you know what you are doing, or alternatively, you can hire a professional to do it for you for a small fee.

What is preventative maintenance?

Preventative maintenance is, shockingly, exactly what the name implies. It is the practice of inspecting your home to find anything that could cause potential issues in the future and taking care of them before disaster strikes. This can mean anything from a crack in a wall that would eventually grow, or a dripping pipe that could one day become a leak capable of flooding the surrounding area. A little bit of work every weekend can help to prevent serious problems around your home that can be both damaging to your property and mental health, but also expensive to fix.

Studies have even proven that dealing with minor and easily fixed issues immediately can save you roughly ten percent on your monthly bills. These savings should really be more than enough to justify a short house check or a quick service call from your plumber.

Now, as we mentioned above, you can perform these household checks yourself, but be sure to do your research first or you may be in danger of missing important checks that result in expensive mistakes. Overall, we find that simply calling your plumber and having them take care of it is the easier route as they will not only catch things you may miss, but they may even be able to fix small issues right then and there, not giving them a chance to get worse.

The different services that require maintenance

Now that we have gone over what preventative maintenance is and why it is important, let’s next look at the different services that require it. Some are obvious, for example, the plumbing inside your home, but there are also others that many of us would not readily think about. Below are the most important services that require preventative maintenance, and what kind of work needs to be done on them.

Mechanical Plumbing:

Mechanical plumbing is plumbing that services the mechanical parts of appliances like air conditioning units, heaters, and ventilation systems in general, and in large buildings, mechanical plumbers may also service things like elevators and escalators. Basically, mechanical plumbing covers anything from interpreting plans and blueprints, designing plumbing systems, and installing, repairing, and maintaining a vast array of appliances ranging from space heaters and waste stacks to heating ducts, ventilation systems, and hot and cold water systems. In addition to these general services, mechanical plumbers are also responsible for installing and maintaining essential services like sprinkler systems. In short, they do an awful lot so you may be beginning to see why it may best to hire a professional to check your home rather than doing it yourself.

A final note regarding mechanical plumbers that is worth mentioning is that they will be aware of any local regulations that your town or city has in place, these are things that many homeowners will not know and so are very easy to miss when doing a DIY inspection.

Electrical:

Electrical services cover any of the internal wires in your home as well as electrical components of your other services. A thorough electrical inspection will look out for any potential electrical hazards, any exposed, damaged, or outdated wiring and will also cover the testing of any power points, lighting, and fuse boxes. Electrical inspections will also ensure that things like smoke and CO2 detectors are in working order while also ensuring, similarly to plumbing, that your home complies with the local regulations set by your town, city, or government.

If you plan to perform an electrical inspection yourself it is extremely important that you do your research regarding both what you need to check and how to do so. Failing to notice something like an exposed or damaged wire can lead to the loss of your property, your belongings, and your life. In addition, ensuring that you know exactly what to do is critical because when dealing with electricity a small mistake can be harmful to your health and potentially even fatal.

Electrical inspections are something that we highly recommend getting a professional to do simply due to the amount of damage that can occur if one is done incorrectly.

Heating:

On a less dangerous note next up are heaters, an average water heater should last roughly a decade, depending on a few factors such as how well taken care of it is, how much it is used, and even the quality of water running through it. For example, a house in a cold area will need heating more, meaning it will wear out faster, and poor-quality water in your area can cause internal issues that are important to take care of with regular maintenance. If you are performing your own inspection you need to look at the factors surrounding your water heater. Is it near carpet or hardwood floors or drywall that would be vulnerable to damage if a leak were to occur? Even if your heater is outside of your house, for example in your garage, how close is it to the walls, and could water make it through to damage your house. It is common practice for heaters to be located out of the way since they are often loud and not exactly easy on the eyes, however, this, unfortunately, means that they are in places that could be devastated should an issue occur. If you find that your heater is placed in such an area, it is a good idea to have it replaced or relocated as soon as possible to avoid any potential damage.

Finally, another thing to look out for when checking your heater is its size. If you recently bought your home, you may find that your water heater is significantly undersized for things like your bathtub or even just general use by your family. This can happen due to a few reasons, for example, perhaps the previous owners’ children moved out and they no longer needed such a large heater, in order to save money, they had it replaced with a smaller one. An undersized water heater will simply not fit your needs and you will end up with either a cold house or frequently cold water due to the heater being unable to handle the load that is being asked of it, so you may find it necessary to replace it with a larger one more capable of suiting your needs.

General Appliance Maintenance

Most of the following advice will relate to your main bathrooms and kitchen as they are often the only places with things like sinks, tubs, and toilets, however, even if you have guest bathrooms that are rarely used it is equally important to also check them.

Toilets:

Toilets are full of working parts and unfortunately, all of those parts are prone to wearing down and causing issues. Luckily, toilets are also one of the easiest appliances to fix should you want to give it a try yourself and there are a few easy tests you can do to check if you have problems.

Firstly, you can remove the tank lid on your toilet and flush it, if it doesn’t stop running once the flush cycle is finished then you have a problem and are wasting water.

Second, you can remove the tank lid and drop a little food coloring into the water of the tank, leave it alone for about 10 minutes then come back to check on it. If you have any color in your toilet bowl then you have a leak.

Lastly, we have the most obvious test, sit on your toilet and check the floor around it, if your toilet is rocking or if you see water around the base, the seal on your toilet base has potentially worn out and needs to be replaced.

Drains:

Whether they be in your shower, your sink, your bathroom, or your kitchen, drains are prone to get clogged by things like hair and soap. To avoid these clogs becoming a serious blockage, we advise that you occasionally clear out drain traps and clear any debris using a plumbing snake.

Faucets:

These are, again, everywhere and should be checked regularly for leaks, worn washers, and worn cartridges. While it is sometimes obvious that you have a leak, something to look out for is a sudden drop in water pressure. If you feel like your water pressure has gotten worse then you may have a leak somewhere in your house causing damage as well as ruining your showering experience.

Faucets are also frequently the victim of calcium build-up around the aerators, causing erratic spray patterns. To remedy this, you simply need to remove the aerator and clean it by soaking it in vinegar.

Caulk seals:

Caulk is essentially the glue around your appliances that stops water from getting in your walls and under your floors. It’s common for caulk to wear out so be sure to regularly check all of your caulk seals carefully to avoid what can be devastating damage. This is something you can do yourself and it’s a good idea to keep some fresh caulk in the house for when you need it.

Finally, even if your caulk looks fine, it is worth going through your house every few years completely removing any old caulk and re-applying a fresh seal.

Guest Contributor: Phil M. Osborne

7 Essential Tools for Your Garage Workshop

You would never imagine how much DIY home improvement you can do with a well-equipped garage workshop. Before this is possible though, you need to know the most essential tools for a garage workshop and make sure you have them ready.

There are a number of things you can repair and build from scratch when you have the right tools at home. These tools do not necessarily have to be the most expensive in the market. Keeping essential tools such as the ones below will take you a long way already.

1. Table Saw

While you can always just go for the traditional hand saw, since it could also do the cutting efficiently with patience, upgrading to an electrical or a power saw will make building DIY projects more convenient.

A table saw is also a convenient option because it allows precise cutting at a faster speed. There are several good table saw options available for less than you think. 

2. Power Drill

A power drill is also a must-have when you have a garage workshop. While most power drills are corded, many brands now produce battery operated drills.

Power drills have a lot of uses and they vary in size, speed, and power. They can be used in different applications, from simple woodwork to metalwork. They simplify drilling as well as hammering screws into their places. 

3. Hammer

There are different types of hammers such as a brick hammer, block hammer, and brass hammer. However, for a garage workshop, it is recommended that you have the claw hammer around. 

A claw hammer is mainly used for woodwork with one blunt side and fork on the other. It is used to pound and extract nails. A framing hammer may also be considered if you want to speed up the job. It has a bigger head therefore reducing the number of hits when you pound a nail to place.

4. Screwdriver

A screw driver should also be inside any garage. The tool is used to remove screws easily. There are many types of screwdrivers as there are different kinds of screws. Instead of buying one piece at a time, you can go for a set.

You can get a set for just $3, but quality brands like Craftsman or Stanley are worth more investing into.

5. Pliers

Pliers help in all twisting, bending and pulling with strong grip. Some types of pliers have a movable fulcrum allowing the user to adjust the jaws according to application. Others are fixed with flat gripping surfaces ideal for twisting and gripping cables. 

Another type of pliers is the bent nose, which is designed with long bent jaws, used for accessing hard to reach areas. There are also types of hammers ideal for plumbing repairs and basement renovations. 

6. Safety Gears

It is a must that you have safety gears in the garage workshop. It does not matter whether you are doing a small repair or building a cabinet from scratch. You have to be protected with a pair of gloves and safety glasses. 

You would never know when your eyes would catch a flying splinter of wood or whether your hands will handle all the stresses of powerful strikes. It is best to wear safety gears to avoid injuries.

7. Socket Wrench

Like screwdrivers, you can get a socket wrench set so you can take advantage of its different sizes. The most common type is the ratcheting socket wrench, which is more commonly known as a ratchet. socket wrenches are used to uninstall nuts and bolts quickly.

Conclusion

Getting the right essential tools for your workshop garage will take you a long way. You do not necessarily need power tools for simple DIY tasks at home, but still you can make bigger projects when you have basic pliers, a saw, a hammer, and all the other tools listed above.

Guest Contributor: Allen Michael