We all get busy here in Sun City, so it’s appropriate to remind all residents of some preventative maintenance that should be done on a regular basis. Skipping this simple and inexpensive maintenance could result in hundreds of dollars of repairs in the future.
I change the batteries in my smoke alarms on New Year’s Day. If you did not do this, you should do so in the next week. If your home was built before 2004, you can skip this step, as the effective life of a smoke alarm is 10 years. Chances are, your smoke alarms will not function effectively even with new batteries and need to be replaced.
If you have separate carbon monoxide detectors, the batteries in them should also be changed.
There are batteries in your thermostat. Warning: some thermostats will actually prevent your furnace from coming on when the batteries are weak. They last more than a year, but if you can’t remember when they were last change, just change them now.
If you have any battery-powered clocks, this would be a good time to check those batteries.
Check your doorbell button by pressing it and listen for the bell. If the bell does not sound, the button is probably bad and should be replaced. If the plastic button cap is broken or the light is burned out, replace the button.
If you haven’t noticed, there is a shut-off valve under every sink and toilet in your house. These are there so that if there is a leak or you need to change a faucet, you can turn off just the affected fixture and not the main water valve to the house. If you ignore this valve, it will be corroded open, and you will not be able to close it.
Every year you should go around the house to each shut off valve and turn it off and back on. This will break away any corrosion that has built up and the valve should be good until next year when you turn it off again. If you can’t turn the valve, do not use a metal wrench to close it. There is a plastic wrench designed for this job. It is called the Gordon wrench. On their web site: www.gordonwrench.com, there is a video to show how it works and information on ordering one.
Occasionally something put into the garbage disposal will cause a jam. It will hum when you turn it on or it will make no noise at all. There is a wrenchette that came with your disposal that fits into a hole in the bottom center of the disposal. If you turn this wrench clockwise and then counter clockwise, it will usually dislodge the jam. After dislodging the jam, turn on the disposer switch. If it does not start but it buzzes, the jam has not been dislodged. If when you turn on the switch the motor is quiet, either the breaker on the disposer has been tripped or the house circuit breaker has been tripped. Reset the breaker on the disposer by pressing the small, round button. The house circuit breaker is located in your utility panel box.
Taking a few minutes to conduct these maintenance tasks could save you much aggravation in the future.
• If you have suggestions for future tips or have questions about maintenance around your home submit them to ask.the.woodchucks@gmail.com
