Saturday Shots: Breathe!

It's Saturday! Instead of waiting for something to go wrong with your house, be preventive. After a couple shots of morning espresso, let's spend 15 minutes taking a quick look around... and maybe making a couple of quick repairs.

Saturday Shots: Breathe!

Last week, we looked at the Roof for water leaks... water leaks should always get priority attention. Water leaks cause way more problems than we want to deal with, they're costly, and your insurance contract probably does not cover damage from leaks over a period of time. 

This week, let's make sure we can breathe easier. 

• Forced Air: If you have a forced air system, take a quick look at the air returns (the bigger air vents where air goes in instead of coming out... most houses have 'em.) If they're dusty, chances are that you haven't cleaned your filters (or changed them) lately. Most manufacturers recommend monthly cleaning or changing, but I usually skip a few months when I'm not running 'em – and then I'm out of the habit. 
• Baseboard Did you know that the main front face of your baseboard heater will come off? Usually, if you remove the corner plate and seam plates, you can grab a hold of the bottom and gently pull outward. It is amazing how much dust (and toys) accumulate in a year. And the air circulates over these all winter to keep you warm. Take a quick look to determine if it's a project you want to tackle today. Then go ahead, vacuum and re-install... it's really not that bad of a project. (Avoid the temptation to bend the little aluminum pieces... that's the part that efficiently warms the room.  

When you're done, I'd recommend making notes in a small notebook or computer file, in case you find something similar in a couple months or years. 

Until next week's 15-Minute Check-up, enjoy your day off!

~ Jon

ps. I forgot to mention... the house I lived in for most of 2012 had electric radiant heat in the ceiling... with vaulted ceilings. (I'm not sure I understand the engineering logic.) Fortunately, the house was designed well and had a wood stove, which we used constantly through the winter. I've heard of people having $800 electric bills in that house.

"A shot of prevention is better than a venti of cure." 

The Fine Print: Because of the general nature of this advice and the individual application thereof, neither the Merriam Agency nor Jon Barron assume any responsibility for any loss, cost, damage, injury or expense which may be incurred or suffered as a result of the use of this information or your own foolishness.