Top 4 Summer Tips for Homeowners

A serious water leak can put a damper on everything, literally. Leaks can cause water damage, are sometimes difficult to fix, and can be expensive. When we asked Wes for is summer plumbing tip, he shared with us how you can avoid big water leak repairs.

Wes suggests taking a few minutes to do a water leak tour around your house. Open the kitchen and bathroom cabinets and check under every sink for wets spots and drips. Next, look for water under and around the water heater. You’ll also want to check your washer and toilet hoses to make sure they aren’t leaking, cracked, or swelling. Broken washing machine and toilet hoses can cause some of the worst plumbing emergencies and water damage.

We hope you don’t find any leaks, but if you do find water in one of these locations call a plumber right away. By catching and fixing it early, you can avoid flooding and expensive repairs later on.

Whenever you ask Mike for his drain tips, he almost always mentions cleaning the hair out of your bathtub. Why? Because it’s a simple easy way to keep you from having to call a plumber for a drain problem. Hair gets mixed in with soap, shampoo, and grime and cause a serious clog in your bathtub or shower drain.

The easiest solution is to clean the hair out of your drain after every use. You can also install a drain trap to make that easier. You can use pliers for this, but your fingers work fine too. As Mike likes to say, “Don’t be afraid of your own hair.”

Electricity is one of those home systems that most of us don’t think about very often. It runs consistently all the time unless there is a problem. It doesn’t require too much maintenance.

When we asked Thomas what he thought about electrical systems this time of year, his main suggestions were to get an electrical inspection done, especially for the panel. Running your air conditioning all summer puts a big load on your electrical panel. If you haven’t had an electrical inspection yet this year, Thomas says that the end of summer is a great time to get that scheduled. If you are a member of TLC’s Preventive Maintenance Program you can schedule your courtesy electrical inspection at no additional charge.

Cooling is something we all focus on during the summer. With temperatures in the 90s and even low 100s during the summer months, it’s hard to forget. We asked Scott what he thought homeowners should do this time of year.

For homeowners with refrigerated air, his main tip is to check your outside condenser unit for your air conditioner. Debris, especially cotton from cottonwood trees can build-up on the unit. If the condenser gets clogged with cotton or other debris, it can make your electrical go up because your AC has to work harder. Scott suggests cleaning all that gunk off to keep your AC cooling properly. If you’re not comfortable doing that yourself, one of TLC’s HVAC technicians can help you.

For homeowners with swamp coolers, his main tip is to change the fan belt. The humidity inside the cooler wears the belt out, which slows down the fan speed. To keep it running smoothly for the rest of the season, go ahead and replace the belt. If you cannot access your cooler easily TLC’s here to replace it for you. Scott also likes to empty the water and let it refill to keep everything inside the cooler fresh.