There is truth to the old adage that “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” – especially when it comes to taking care of your home. A regular schedule of preventative home maintenance can thwart a host of expensive problems down the road and keep your house in tip-top condition. Preventative maintenance is also far easier than waiting until something breaks and then having to scramble to get it fixed.

Moisture

One of the most important things in preventative home maintenance is to keep moisture away from your house:

• Install rain gutters if you don’t already have them. This will direct water away from the foundation and can help prevent a cracked slab.
• Clear leaves from your rain gutters at least twice a year to avoid water backup that can rot wood gutters and rust those made of sheet metal.
• If gutter drainpipes are clogged, try to flush debris down them with a hose. If that doesn’t work, use a plumber’s snake to free the debris from the gutter drainpipe.
• Adjust your lawn sprinklers to ensure that you don’t water your house along with your grass and garden. Wet wood  can rot and attract dampwood termites.
• Inspect the washers on your hose and outdoor faucet periodically and replace them if needed to prevent dripping water from soaking the foundation of your home.
• Go up in the attic to check for roof leaks every several months to prevent water damage to ceilings and walls from rain.
• Use the bathroom fan or open a window when you take a shower to prevent condensation that encourages mold and mildew growth.

Emergencies
In case of an emergency, all the adults in your household should know where the following controls are located and how to turn them off:

• Heating fuel main shutoff 
• Main electrical fuse/breaker box 
• Main water shutoff 
• Water shutoff valve for toilets, sink faucets, and your washing machine.
• Keep a wrench nearby each of the vital shutoff valves. Every home should also have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen and in the garage.

Weekly/Periodically

• Clean leaves and debris out of basement window wells.
• Rake debris away from around the foundation of your house and other structures on your property.
• Vacuum your carpet with a powerful upright vacuum cleaner at least once a week.

Monthly

• Clean faucet aerators and shower heads with vinegar to get rid of mineral deposits. 
• Clean the drain pan on your frost-free refrigerator. 
• Inspect your dishwasher for leaks. 
• Clean your kitchen exhaust fan filter and fan blades.
• During the fall and winter months, check your heating system air filter and replace it if needed. 
• Maintain drains by pouring boiling water down them. If a drain becomes clogged, pour a cup of baking soda into the drain – flush with three cups of hot water. If that doesn’t work, use one-half cup of baking soda and then pour one-half cup of plain vinegar down the drain.
• Pour water down any unused drains.
• Vacuum heat registers, vents and refrigerator coils. 
• Test ground fault circuit interrupters in your home.  

Spring

• Inspect weather-stripping around windows and doors. If needed, replace it to save energy and cut down on air conditioning costs. 
• Clean dirt and dust from around the air conditioner compressor.
• Change your air conditioner filter
• Inspect screens and repair any holes to keep flying insects out of the house.
• Hose off the exterior of your home. 
• Scrub any mildew off of the exterior of the house and treat decks for mildew and fungus. 
• Trim any trees or shrubs away from the house. 
• Contact a licensed coolant contractor to inspect and service your air conditioner.
• Use silicone spray on patio door and window tracks for smooth operation.
• Change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detector

Fall

• Inspect storm window, clean them if needed and seal holes.
• Have your wood-burning fireplace inspected, cleaned and repaired to prevent chimney fires and carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Contact a licensed heating contractor to inspect and service your gas heater or furnace to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. Your local utility company will often provide this service for free. 
• If you use a hot water system for heating, drain the expansion tank, check the water pressure, and bleed your radiators. 
• Change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detector.

Annually

• Seal exterior cracks in stucco.
• Touch up exterior paint.
• Drain water heater and check pressure valve.
• Re-caulk showers, tubs and sinks to prevent water damage to walls.
• Wax marble counter tops with turtle wax.
• Maintain a contract with a pest control company to prevent or eliminate insect infestations such as termites or carpenter ants.
• Inspect hot water heat system radiators and convectors.
• Septic tanks should be checked and cleaned once a year.
• Check the pressure and expiration date on all of your fire extinguishers.
• Check your clothes dryer vent and hose for lint buildup. Clean if necessary to prevent a fire.
• Contact a roofing professional to check for leaks, loose shingles, or broken tiles.
• Schedule a chimney cleaning (if you don't use your fireplace very much this can be done every two years.)
• Give your carpeting a professional cleaning.

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A professionally installed and monitored home security system is a nice addition to your home’s defenses, but it shouldn’t be step one. First, conduct your own home security check. After you’ve inspected your home’s doors and windows, make sure these essential steps are covered:

1. Keep your home well-maintained on the outside

Burglars want an easy target. Stand on the street outside your house and ask yourself: Does my property look neglected, hidden, or uninhabited? A front door or walkway that’s obscured by shrubbery offers crooks the perfect cover they need while they break a door or window. To improve security, trim shrubs away from windows and widen front walks.

2. Install motion detector lights

All sides of your house should be well-lit with motion-activated lighting, not just the front. Simple motion-activated floodlights cost less than $50 each, and installing them is an easy DIY job if the wiring is already in place.

3. Store your valuables

Thieves want easy-to-grab electronics, cash, jewelry, and other valuables, though some are not above running down the street with your flat-screen TV. Most make a beeline for the master bedroom, because that’s where you’re likely to hide spare cash, jewelry, even guns. 

Tour each room and ask yourself: is there anything here that I can move to a safe deposit box? Installing a home safe ($150 to $500) that’s bolted to your basement slab is a good repository for items you don’t use on a daily basis.

4. Secure your data

While you probably won’t be putting your home computer in a safe anytime soon, take steps to back up the personal information stored on it. Password protect your login screen, and always shut off your computer when not in use (you’ll save energy, too!) Don’t overlook irreplaceable items whose value may hard to quantify, like digital photos.

5. Prepare ahead of time in case the worst happens

• Take a photo or video inventory of items of value in your home, and store the file online or in your home safe.
• Check that you’re properly insured for theft. Note that high-ticket items in your home office, such as computers, professional camera equipment, or other business essentials, may require an additional rider or a separate policy.

Read more: http://www.houselogic.com/articles/do-it-yourself-home-security-check-5-essential-steps/#ixzz1T8AN23sj

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7 Ways to Be a Better Recycler

If you do just one thing to “live green” and care for the environment, chances are it’s recycling. About three-quarters of people in the U.S. recycle, and the EPA says that recycling “generates a host of financial, environmental, and social returns.”

What a lot of folks don’t know, however, is that it takes a little know-how to be a really good recycler. That’s because improper recycling can introduce impurities that gum up the recycling works.

The good news? It doesn’t take a whole lot of effort to be a smart recycler. Here are some great tips on how to be a top-notch recycler at your house:

1. If you drink from a plastic bottle, remove the twist-off cap and ring. They aren’t recyclable. In fact, bottles that arrive at recycling centers with the caps still on often are trashed. It’s too much work for the center’s employees to remove every cap, so do your part and remove them.

2. Don’t recycle anything that has food residue stuck to it. This goes for pizza boxes, paper towels, paper plates, and anything you’ve used to mop up a spill. Food waste adds impurities to products made from recycled materials, rendering them useless. Instead of tossing the whole pizza box into the trash, tear off the lid and any part of the box that’s clean, and recycle those.

3. Rinse everything out. It’s more efficient if the recycling center gets items that have been cleaned, and rinsing prevents your recycling bin from getting stinky and attracting pests. Don’t go crazy with scrubbing; a simple rinse is fine. While you’re at it, peel off any labels, along with as much of the sticky residue as you can.

4. Find out what types of plastic your local recycling center accepts. There are many different types of plastics, and not all of them are recyclable everywhere. Look for the number inside the recycling symbol — the three arrows that form a triangle — and make sure you only put the right types into your bin.

5. Pay attention to paper. Shredded paper doesn’t have the long fibers needed to make good recycled paper products, so find another use for it instead. Remove brightly colored paper, construction paper, and wax paper from regular white paper. Stick to paper from a notebook or printer. But don’t worry about tearing the little plastic window out of white envelopes — that small bit of plastic won’t hurt the recycling process.

6. Don’t put plastic grocery bags into your recycling bin. Instead, take a bunch with you next time you go to the store and recycle them there. If there’s not a bin to collect bags, ask the store manager to put one out. Better yet, get some reusable bags and forget about the plastic ones altogether.

7. When in doubt, call your local recycling center. Every community is different; find out how to maximize the recycling potential of yours.



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Here are a few surprising and simple ways to cut your energy bill this season.

Give your pocketbook and Mother Nature a gift this season by taking advantage of these simple, surprising ways to save energy and money.

Put lamps in the corners: Did you know you can switch to a lower wattage bulb in a lamp or lower its dimmer switch and not lose a noticeable amount of light? It’s all about placement. When a lamp is placed in a corner, the light reflects off the adjoining walls, which makes the room lighter and brighter.

Switch to a laptop: If you’re reading this article on a laptop, you’re using 1/3 less energy than if you’re reading this on a desktop.

Choose an LCD TV: If you’re among those considering a flat-screen upgrade from your conventional, CRT TV, choose an LCD screen for the biggest energy save.

Give your water heater a blanket: Just like you pile on extra layers in the winter, your hot water heater can use some extra insulation too. A fiberglass insulation blanket is a simple addition that can cut heat loss and save 4% to 9% on the average water-heating bill.

Turn off the burner before you’re done cooking: When you turn off an electric burner, it doesn’t cool off immediately. Use that to your advantage by turning it off early and using the residual heat to finish up your dish.

Add motion sensors: You might be diligent about shutting off unnecessary lights, but your kids? Not so much. Adding motion sensors to playrooms and bedrooms cost only $15 to $50 per light, and ensures you don’t pay for energy that you’re not using.

Spin laundry faster: The faster your washing machine can spin excess water out of your laundry, the less you’ll need to use your dryer. Many newer washers spin clothes so effectively, they cut drying time and energy consumption in half—which results in an equal drop in your dryer’s energy bill.

Use an ice tray: Stop using your automatic icemaker. It increases your fridge’s energy consumption by 14% to 20%. Ice trays, on the other hand, don’t increase your energy costs one iota.

Use the dishwasher: If you think doing your dishes by hand is greener than powering up the dishwasher, you’re wrong. Dishwashers use about 1/3 as much hot water and relieve that much strain from your energy-taxing water heater. Added bonus: you don’t have to wash any dishes.

Read more: http://www.houselogic.com/articles/energy-money-savers/#ixzz1U4xyrx9z

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So much has changed in the world of air conditioning in recent years that if your system has almost any significant breakdown—or if it’s just not keeping you as cool as it used to—it may be worth replacing it instead of repairing it. As of 2010, for example, manufacturers must use a new kind of refrigerant that’s not an ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbon. And a new system can use less than half the electricity of your old one while doing a far better job of keeping you cool and comfortable.

If your air conditioner is more than eight years old, repair is probably not worth the expense, unless it’s a simple problem like debris clogging the condenser unit or a worn fan belt. Still, to best weigh your repair-or-replace decision, ask your contractor to assess not just the condition of your existing equipment, but also the ducts that deliver the cool air and the overall quality of the insulation in your house. Improving those elements might increase the effectiveness of the system as much or more than installing new machinery.

Assess the efficiency of your current system

Even if your central air conditioner is just eight to 10 years old, it could suck up to twice the electricity that even a low-end new one would use. That’s because it operates at or below 10 SEER, or Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, which is the amount of energy needed to provide a specific cooling output. Until 2006, 10 SEER was standard, but these days, the minimum allowed by federal law is 13 SEER. That translates to 30% less electrical consumption and 30% lower cooling bills than equipment installed just a few years ago.

For an 1,800 square foot house, a new 13 SEER unit will cost $3,000 to $4,000. You can double your energy savings by jumping up to 16 SEER, which will reduce cooling expenses by 60% over a 10 SEER unit. At $5,000 to $6,000, these super-efficient units are more expensive, but they qualify for a federal tax credit of up to $300 and possibly local incentives, too.

“Your installer can run the numbers for you to see whether it’s worth the additional cost,” says Ellis Guiles of TAG Mechanical in Syracuse, New York. “If you’re south of the Mason Dixon line, certainly, you can make up those dollars pretty quickly.”

Inspect the condition of the ductwork

You could upgrade to the highest efficiency gear available and still not feel comfortably cool on hot days. That’s because the mechanicals are only part of the central air system. The average house’s ductwork leaks 10% to 30% of its air before it can reach your living space, according to Pacific Gas & Electric. Before deciding whether to repair or replace your condenser and blower units, your technician should run a duct-leakage test, by sealing the vents and measuring how much air escapes the system.

If the ducts are inefficient, he can locate and seal the gaps, typically for $25 to $35 per vent (per “run” in industry jargon), or replace the ductwork entirely with new, insulated pipe for around $100 per run, according to Guiles. Your technician may recommend doing the duct improvements in conjunction with replacement of the mechanicals or may recommend only one or the other job.

Consider the building envelope itself

If your house is poorly insulated, it’s putting a strain on your aging air conditioner. Resolving the house’s flaws may mean that your old system will have enough cooling power to continue to do the job for a few more years. Or it may enable you to buy a smaller replacement system, lowering your upfront and ongoing energy costs significantly.

Your heating and cooling contractor should assess and, if necessary, upgrade the building envelope. For example, he might seal gaps and cracks in the outer walls and attic floor, or he might blow insulation into the walls, either of which could knock as much as 30% off your heating and cooling costs. Insulation also may get you a $500 federal tax credit, and in some cases, it may be a more effective solution to your cooling problems than replacing your equipment.

Make sure a new system is sized right

If you decide to replace, make sure the contractor’s bid includes a load calculation, which is a computer printout showing how big a system you need and why.

Air conditioning is measured by the ton, which is the cooling power of a one-ton block of ice melting in 24 hours. Some old-school installers use a ballpark estimate for sizing equipment—say, one ton for every 400 or 600 square feet of living space. But that typically leads to systems that are too big, according to Greg Gill of Action Air Conditioning and Heating in San Marcos, Calif. Not only do oversized systems cost more, but they also do their cooling work too quickly, which means more frequent on/off cycles, wearing out components and gobbling electricity. Plus, they don’t have a chance to effectively dehumidify the air.

Good contractors use load-calculating software that factors in such data as the number of windows in your house, the thickness of insulation, the configuration of the attic, and the building’s orientation to the sun. It produces not only an exact tonnage requirement, but determines how much cool air each room needs. All bids (get at least three, from licensed, well-regarded companies) should include this one-page printout.

Article from House Logic, read more: http://www.houselogic.com/articles/replace-home-air-conditioning-equipment/#ixzz1SqnxED63

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Cozy, welcoming home in a great southeast Springfield location.

This home features 3 bedrooms & 2 baths plus a large 26x10 bright sunroom that you will LOVE!

Huge deck in back for entertaining overlooking the large yard with storage shed.

Fireplace with insert in living area and lots of hardwood floors!

This one won't last long!

Interior

Overview

Room Sizes (Approximate)

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Features & Equipment

Exterior

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Directions

Cherry and Barnes, North to Elm, Turn Left (West) to Home

Schools

Experiencing a theft, flood, fire, or other casualty loss is devastating enough. Now imagine trying to list from memory for your insurance claim every single item that was damaged or destroyed. The task becomes less daunting if you create a home inventory in advance and keep it in a safe place.

Creating a home inventory can be done with pencil and paper alone, but a digital camera and camcorder make the job easier. Set aside enough time to review your insurance policies, dig up receipts, document your possessions, and figure out where you’ll store your records.

A home inventory is essential

From appliances, plates, and glasses to collectibles, rugs, and furniture, the average home is packed with an array of items collected over the years. And while you may be able to list many of them in a pinch, chances are you’d miss some important possessions if you ever needed to reconstruct your home’s contents from memory, says Mark Goldwich, founder of GoldStar Adjusters, a Jacksonville, Fla., claims adjusting firm.

“Home inventories are a must no matter what the value of the home’s items are,” says Goldwich. “If you’re going to insure your property and pay for that insurance, you really should be able to document the ownership and the value of the items that you’re insuring. If you don’t have proof of the items you owned, it makes filing your claim much more difficult.”

Your job doesn’t end once you’ve compiled a home inventory, a detailed list of everything in your household. Be sure to compare estimated values to your policy’s coverage to ensure that you’ll be able to replace your belongings in case of damage or theft, says Goldwich, who is the author of “Uncovered: What Really Happens After the Storm, Flood, Earthquake or Fire.” In some cases, he says, you can purchase additional coverage if the value of your possessions exceeds the limits on your homeowners, flood, or other disaster policy.

Take photos and video of possessions

Jack Hungelmann, author of “Insurance for Dummies,” says a picture can be worth more than just a thousand words—it can add up to thousands in cash if you ever need to file an insurance claim. Hungelmann recommends using a digital camcorder or camera to take pictures of each room to document your belongings. “I recommend that people open up their cupboards and drawers. Be sure you have a record of all the things you own,” he says.

Goldwich says that creating such a home inventory might seem daunting, but digital video—you can pick up a decent camcorder for about $150—can make the task much easier.

Homeowners can literally walk from room to room and record narrative descriptions of items. You should note whether something is an antique, for example, or if it has other qualities that make it especially valuable such as the size of a television screen or the type of stones in a piece of jewelry. Get close-up shots of serial numbers on electronics, power tools, and the like.

Filling in a printed checklist with serial numbers, brands, quantities, and estimated values will prove indispensible if an insurance claim ever needs to be filed. The adjuster will likely ask for such a list, and you can use the video or photos as proof of ownership. Download our free home inventory checklist to create your own.

Keep Your Home Inventory Safe

Of course, such documentation is useless if it’s destroyed in a natural disaster, consumed by fire, or stolen along with your personal computer. Hungelmann says that using digital media allows you to store the files on online backup services like Carbonite.com or iBackup.com in case your home is destroyed.

If you’d like to save the $10 or more per month these services typically cost, you could also save the files on a USB drive that’s kept in a safe-deposit box, at a relative’s home, or in your emergency bag. The bag should include essentials your family needs in case you’re forced to flee on short notice.

It’s also a good idea to keep a file with receipts and any appraisals of valuable items you own. Store these documents off-site as well. Goldwich says that the more documentation you have to prove what you owned and what it was worth, the easier the claims process will be.

Article from House Logic, read more: http://www.houselogic.com/articles/create-home-inventory-insurance/#ixzz1SqgtOIdT 

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Make a home emergency preparedness kit with all the essential supplies to aid you in case a disaster strikes your area.

Here's what you need to know to grow the grass everyone wants!

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We hope this chart provides food for thought for anyone wondering if now is a good time to get off the fence regarding a home purchase or refinance.

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