Blog

January

• Change Air Conditioning (A/C)/furnace filter. Filters should be changed or cleaned at least every three months.

February

• Tighten toilet flange bolts. Toilets can become loose at the base and may leak past the wax ring causing extensive floor damage.  Tighten the two bolts, usually covered by a plastic dome caps at the base of the toilet, being careful not to tighten too tight or the toilet may crack.
• Tighten tank bolts. There are typically two or three bolts that secure the toilet tank to the toilet bowl.  If you can rock the tank back and forth it needs to be tightened.  Carefully tighten the nuts on the bolts that go from the tank bottom thru the holes in the base careful not to over tighten or it may crack the bottom of the tank.  Replace flapper valve.  Many households use disinfect tablets to keep the toilet tank clean, but these tablets damage the rubber valve over time, making it necessary to replace it.  These valves are cheap, and a bag of them can be bought from any of the big hardware stores for  a few bucks.  To replace the valve, pull the lid off the tank.  Looking down you will see a black rubber valve with a little chain connected to it.  Lift the valve out of the tank with the chain and replace the old valve with a new one. 
• Tighten drainpipes and water connections under sinks. Reaching under the sink, follow the drainpipes from the base of the of the sink, and tighten each nut that connects the pipes and the traps together.  Follow the hot and cold-water lines up to the base of the faucets and tighten the nuts that secure the lines to the faucet with your hand.  It’s so simple – no tools required. 
• Clean faucet aerators. These are the little screens that are on the end of each faucet.  They simply unscrew.  Pull them apart and soak in CLR, Lime Away or similar product to clear away lime deposits.  Or buy a replacement at your local hardware store. 

March

• Remove floor registers and vacuum ducts, then disinfect. Most factory-built homes have heating and air conditioning vents in the floor.  Dirt, debris, and other objects can fall into the ducting through the floor registers.  Once a year remove the two screws from each vent and remove the registers.  You will be surprised at what you find, especially if you have children.  Remove any objects and vacuum out the dirt.  Take a spray bottle with a mixture of water and bleach, and spray into the ducts to kill any germs.  While the vent is off, check the vertical riser pipe for any leaks.  Seal any leaks with aluminum duct tape.