Holiday Home Safety Tips

The winter holidays are a time for celebration, and that means more cooking, home decorating, entertaining, and an increased risk of fire and accidents.

Hot Water Radiator for Apts and Condos

Most of the condos in this area get their heat from the hot water that comes from the water heater. They do not use a ton of power which is good. Keep in mind that they will only get as hot as you have your water heater unit set for. I recommend having the unit checked once to twice per year. They can develop small water leaks because there is obviously extra piping. Plus some of the circulating pumps in them have a tendency to go bad.

Air Gap Device Used At The Disposal?

This was probably one of the strangest things that I have seen in quite a while. This renter used the Air Gap Device (which is suppose to be above the sink) to do two things under the sink. One line was the dishwasher drain line (which is improper) and the second line was the drain/overflow line for the reverse osmoses unit.

Big problem.

The Air Gap Device will only function properly if it has air flow at the top. This device is covered up by a hose. The dishwasher did not drain properly.

Worn Roofing Tiles

I know that the majority of houses in this town do not have the asphalt roofing shingles. This is a very small indication of what long hanging tree limbs can do to the tiles. They wear on them and cause damage, enough to cause a roof leak. Even the concrete tile roofs are not exempt. I have seen the tree limbs actually move and even break the tile pieces.

Window Maintenance

This will not be much fun! Clean windows both inside and out. Clean all the weep holes (small holes at bottom of window to allow water to drain down and out) and tracks on the window frames.

If windows are not sliding smoothly and easily, apply a small amount of either graphite or silicone to tracks of window, adding more if neccessary.

Worn Stucco

Q. Joan Asked - Some of my outside stucco by my front lawn looks worn and bad. How can I fix that?

A. Joan. The worn marks on your stucco are most likely from your lawn sprinklers. The first thing is to either adjust them or buy the adjustable kind to prevent any further damage. Second, you may have to get someone with stucco experience to redo the surface where it is worn.

TPR Valve Drain Line Installed Improperly!

The TPR Valve (Temperature, Pressure, Release) is there to prevent the water heating unit from exploding. The proper installation for the drain line is to be either level or downhill. It should never be installed so it flows down, then uphill for it to drain. It's all about the contamination of the water in the tank.

Loose Roofing Tiles

I notice this problem quite often. This is usually on a lower roof of a two story home where the lower roof meets the upper wall. There is a flashing which is proper and that is put in place before the roofing tiles are installed.

Water Heater Flue Pipe Looks Like A Water Slide!

I could tell that this particular Water Heater was installed by the homeowner or a friend that thinks he's a handyman.The pipe that they used for the flue is way too long and is too level in the middle section. There is no way that the fumes from the burner are going to travel successfully up and out the way it is suppose to.

Dangerous Water Heater Flare Out!

The Water Heater here was obviously an older unit and probably was ready for replacement. The problem was that the owners were living there with the problem of the unit fire was flaring out every time that it turned on. This is most assuredly a fire hazard. This would have really been dangerous if something in the garage had accidently fallen over and up against the unit.