Metro Home Inspections: Home Maintenance Tips that save you money

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12 Home Maintenance Tips

The Easy Twelve Maintenance Tips that will save you money.

• Bathrooms

Grout: Check the grout (i.e. cementitious filler) between the tiles on the walls of the bathtub or shower. Cracks will allow water to penetrate the wall behind the tiles even when only barely noticeable. If cracked, remove the old grout and replace it with new grout.
Seal all tile grouts with a commercially available clear penetrating grout sealer containing either silicone (silicone will have a strong odour) or acrylic. This makes the grout water resistant and also reduces the growth of mould.
Caulking: Keep the joints between the tub or shower base and the adjacent flooring or wall finish well caulked.

• Exterior Landscaping

Grading: All finished ground surfaces (e.g. soil, mulch, concrete, etc.) should be kept 6-8 inches (15-25 cm) below the bottom of the siding, leaving the top of the foundation walls exposed. This will reduce the risk of moisture penetration into the wall structure and subsequent rot or insect damage.
Plants: Do not allow bushes or ivy to grow in contact with the siding. Do not allow trees to come into contact with the roof or to overhang the roof closely. Trees provide access to rodents that can access the attic through gaps in the roof where they can cause significant damage and also create a health hazard.

• Exterior Cladding

Protect from excessive water: Do not allow roof water to drain down the exterior walls for any reason, including plugged gutters or improper roof/wall flashing installations. No wall cladding can resist constant water contact. A streak of mildew down an exterior wall is a good indicator of a possible problem.

• Garage

Garage doors: Check the bolts securing the garage door panel hinges to the door panels, especially wood doors. Vibrations from garage door openers can loosen the bolts and cause the panel joints to separate, especially on double doors. If necessary, use lock-washers under the nuts.

• Heating

Furnaces: Replace the filter. Plugged filters reduce air flow through the furnace and can result in overheating which will accelerate aging of the furnace and reduce furnace efficiency.
Boilers: Ensure the operating temperature of the boiler stays above 150°F (65°C) to prevent internal condensation and corrosion. On “radiant-slab” heating systems ensure the floor loop supply temperatures remain below 120°F (50°C) to reduce the risk of thermal breakdown of the pipes.

Roofing

Do not allow the growth or build-up of moss, leaves, etc.
Do not allow trees to overhang the roof.
Clean the gutters but do not flush the gutters into the foundation drain pipes
Check the condition of the roofing components every few years. Wood roofing especially will benefit from the application of preservatives.