Winter preparedness

• Cleanup your garage to park your vehicles this winter.  Organize and put away your gardening supplies, bring out snow shovels for when needed.
• Be prepared by purchasing a few bags of ice melt.
• It is a great time to donate some of the junk you have collected that is cluttering your garage so you can park inside.
• Clean gutters and downspouts of debris and leaves.  Be careful when using a ladder and water to hose down the gutters.  Keeping clean gutters will keep snow and ice dams from forming and causing water damage to the interior of the home.
• Drain garden hoses and disconnect from outside spigots.  This prevents the spigots from freezing.  Install insulation covers over them which are easily available from a local hardware store.
• Wash and clean exterior windows and screens.
• Clean and store patio furniture, umbrellas, and children’s summer toys.  Discard broken or damaged items that you know you will not use the following spring or summer.
• Check chimney and have them cleaned professionally if necessary. A clean and properly maintained chimney will prevent possible smoke damage to your home. 
• Firewood purchased by the cord instead of the occasional trip to the store.
• Check your attic; make sure you have at least 6” – 8” of insulation.  Lack of insulation causes heat loss as it gets colder and possible frozen pipes in an extreme winter.

Avoid getting ripped off after Hurricane Isaac

How Can Homeowners Avoid Getting Ripped Off After Hurricane Isaac?

How to Protect Yourself from Getting Ripped Off after a Storm?

What special questions should you ask repair specialists who are performing storm damage?

How can you ensure that the professional you’re choosing will work with your insurance?

Should you be wary of service companies that come knocking as soon as the storm is over?

Are local companies the best way to go even if they can’t get to you as soon as others?

What should homeowners look for to determine if a company might have poor service or a history of fraudulent repairs?

Isaac has been upgraded to Hurricane and is headed for the US coast right for the state of Louisiana.  The front side of the storm has already dropped several inches of rain, the eye will pass through and the back side of the storm will dump several inches more.  We are in Wichita, KS and preparing to team up with local vendors to serve clients in Louisiana.  We will work under local ServiceMaster assisting them with whatever they need in restoring homes and business after they have encountered flood and or water damage.

In Wichita, KS we experience many spring storms and related damage.  I have personally experienced hail damage at my home.  With a hail storm many business send us flyer in the mail and many sent canvassing crews.  I choose not to use any that came to my door or sent me mailers.  I knew some names from the local market who I called to get advice.  I waited for things to slow down and then got the repairs done.  I was able to get a good value for the $s I was willing to pay.

In the event of a floor or a hurricane Isaac, waiting may not be an option.  My encouragement to those needing services, call on ServiceMaster for all your flood and waterdamage cleaning needs. We have standing contracts many Insurance companies to give you priority.  The vendors in our network are pre-qualified and to be a part of the group, certain standards of workmanship and insurance must be met to be a part of this elite group.

Due to the high demand for qualified contractors, sometimes it is not easy to get estimates, since contractors are performing services for existing clients.  Using a network such as ServiceMaster in Wichita, KS  ensures prices that are generally market standard by 3^rd party pricing companies such as Xactware or Symbility.

How much does it cost to repair a leaky toilet

Answers to questions I was asked by a reporter:


On average (as I realize each situation is unique) how much might it cost to have a leaky toilet repaired? Let’s say there’s a crack in the tank or the plumbing is dripping somehow and although it’s not a major leak at this stage, still should be repaired.

To repair a toilet (ceramic tank and bowl) may not be a good idea.  In my opinion, it would be better to replace.  Depending on where you live in the country and type of bowl and tank you purchase from the hardware/appliance store, the cost of the toilet could be as low as $99.00 and up from there.  Installation may cost about $150.00 +, often larger stores may offer a discounted installation cost as well.  If it is my house, a crack in the tank would mean replace the tank (if possible), otherwise the whole unit.  Some toilets and tanks are 1 piece.  I try not to do these type of repairs myself, I hire a plumber for such repairs.  (I consider myself quite handy, however some things I prefer to have a pro do.)

More often than not, I have observed that the “supply line” to the water tank develops a hole.  If it is a slow leak, I would get that replaced or replace it myself.  These are easy to do and readily available.  I would replace with a metal braided supply line.  They tend to hold up better in the long run.

How much might it cost to do a major toilet repair? The tank cracks, the plumbing that was leaking just a little is not a faucet, etc.?

Cost of toilet as little as $99, cost of install depends on the market, here upwards of $150.00.

   

How much might it cost to replace a blown (and spewing water) washing machine hose?

To replace the hot or cold water supply line to the washing machine is cheap.  The hose will cost as little as $7 at a hardware store.  I would not recommend them to anyone.  I would encourage the use of the metal braided ones.  Now there are metal braided with auto pressure shut off in case of a  rupture.  I have these at my home, each cost about $20.00 each.  If a person can install a garden hose, they can install these.  Only difference is they need to use plumbers tape. (Readily available at the hardware store for about a $1.00) Just wrap a few times (2 to 3) over the threads where the hose connects on each end, and you are good to go. 

Now let’s talk about the damage the ruptured hose may cost. (which is what we often assist clients with)

Scenario 1.: House built on a slab foundation (with no basement).  Depending on where the laundry room is located and what kind of drains are in the room.  If there is a floor drain, the room may get a little wet.  Some drywall may get wet and will need to be dried out.  This may cost about a thousand or so or less, depending on the situation for water damage restoration.

Scenario 2a.: House has a basement and the washer unit sits in the basement in a well drained utility room.  Similar to above, because the water would drain out fairly easily. Cost could vary.

Scenario 2b.: House has a basement and the washer unit sits in the basement in a not so well drained area.  This could propose quite a problem, since the carpet in the basement would be wet and water would wick up the drywall.  Drywall would need to be dried out, base trim and all materials would need to dried to prevent fungal growth.  Depending on the severity, cost could range upwards of $1,000.00 to dry out + cost to rebuild if necessary.

Scenario 2c.: House has a basement and the washer unit sits on the main floor with a finished basement.  When a flood happens in this situation, generally this is quite extensive and expensive.  Cost could easily go upwards of $2500 depending on what is damaged + rebuild costs if necessary.

Scenario 3.: House has a finished basement, main level and floor above the main level and the washer unit sits on the top floor.  These turn out to be quite expensive since the water will run down through the floors and the walls causing extensive damage to walls, flooring such as carpet etc.  Cost could easily be about $2500+ per floor to dry out and then the cost to replace and repair damaged structure and the contents.

Similar costs structure if it were a toilet and its location.

How much might it cost to replace rubber washing machine hoses with steel braided ones?

Note the beginning of the point above. If you do it yourself, $20.00 + for the cost of the hose; if you hire a plumber, I assume they would charge a minimum rate of about $150.00 and that is dependent on what area of the country.

How much might it cost to install an auto shut off calve with an audible alarm on a washing machine or dishwasher hose line?

I really have no idea.  However pressure sensitive auto shutoff metal braided supply lines cost about $20 a piece and higher, dependant on the length etc.

If a hot water heater starts leaking, is it (in general) able to be repaired or is a new one usually the only option?

These are not generally repairable, it is time to get a new one and replace the old, especially if it is leaking on the hot water side with hot water/steam.  This is potentially a dangerous situation because hot water evaporates quite rapidly and can cause fungal growth quite rapidly.  We are currently remediating an unfinished basement that had the hot water heater rupture when the tenant was out of town.  2 days later he returns to a incredibly contaminated basement.  The basement looked like a Petri dish full of fungal growth.  It will be restored, but will cost the client in the vicinity of $10,000.  If my hot water heater leaked, I would replace without a question.

On average, how long do hot water heaters last?

Hot water heaters come with various “warranties”.  I am not an expert on their life, but I do know that the better the warranty, the better the product.  Warranties generally are 6-10 yrs. A hot water heater’s life can be elongated by a handful of things.  If you live in a hard-water area, install a water softer or related appliance.  This reduces buildup of sediment in hot water heater and pipe oxidation/buildup.  The second thing one can do is to drain the hot-water heater periodically based on manufacturer directions to drain it of the buildup in the bottom of the hot-water heater.  This reduces corroded buildup on the bottom of the hot water heater.  Doing this procedure will also improve the amount of hot water you get from your tank and its efficiency.

A few other thoughts that may be helpful:

Slow leaks and the damage they cause are generally not covered.  Slow leaks are often the cause of fungal/mold growth around the leak causing wood rot etc.  Better to take care of it when it is a small problem, rather than wait for a burst pipe causing far greater damage.

If possible as in some of the new homes and newer plumbing systems, the pressure can be regulated and or reduced by simply slowing down from the breakaways from the main line, especially where water pressure is not critical.  I have done this and advise other of it as a simple precautionary thing to do.

Post-Christmas Organization

With Christmas gone and the new-year upon us, this is a great time to do some of the things that get left behind.  Being in the midst of winter, it almost is no fun being outdoors.  This is a great time to take on inside projects that have been put on the back-burner.  It is a little early for spring cleaning, but never too late to spruce up your home.  Here are a few tips on taking care of a few things around the house that may need attention. This article gives a few directions on organization and light duty cleaning.

Organization Related:

·         Plan:

o   Have a goal in mind on what you would like to accomplish.  Are you attempting to de-clutter a room or a level of the home or your entire home?

o   Be realistic to what you can accomplish in the time that you have.

o   Mark out a staging area to where you can put things that you will donate, items that you may throw away and the other that will be kept to go in the organized area.

·         Storage Supplies:

o   With a variety of storage options available, consider what suits your needs and budget.

o   Have containers for the size needed so that they will not be over-loaded to make them too heavy.

o   Apply peel-able labels so corrections and changes can be made as you are in the process of organizing. This will help store things neatly and you will know where things are located should you need them.

·         Organize:

o   Bed Room Closet: Perhaps the Children’s closet.  Sort out the clothes they do not wear.  Put the ones they use back on hangers. If you plan to throw away the damaged things, put them in the trash pile while keeping the ones you may wish to donate or have a garage sale in a separate pile.  Shoes, toys and boxes can be cleared from the floor or the top shelves as well.

o   Under The Bed: Often things get shoved under the bed.  Get rid of what is not used in the last year if it cannot be donated or sold at a garage sale.

o   Linen Closet: Apply the same principle to this area.  Making rags may be a good idea from old towels; however Micro-fiber towels are better for cleaning.

o   Bathroom Cabinets: Often there are old cleaning chemicals, hair dyes partially used, throw them out!  Keep only what you need.

o   Throw out the old: There is always a reason to keep something, but there is also a reason to make room.  It simplifies your life.  De-cluttering should be part of one’s tasks.

o   Have a place for everything: Be a minimalist.