Home Maintenance Projects Experts Say You Shouldn't Put Off

As inflation strains family budgets, read on for expert advice on chores homeowners can take on to avoid costly bills later.

TAKING CARE OF WATER HEATERS

NBC 5 Responds asked Rusty Speake of Speake's Plumbing about flushing water heaters. The process involves attaching a hose to the spigot at the bottom to stir up and drain sediment inside. Is this something every homeowner needs to do?

Speake, a Master Plumber, said his answer depends on the type of water heater, its age and whether you’ve flushed it regularly.

“Do I flush my water heater, no? Should people? I think it’s going be up to you and what your situation is,” Speake said.

He said, if a consumer has an older tank water heater that hasn’t been flushed in years or has never been flushed, Speake said consumers may consider leaving it alone.

When it comes to a tankless water heater, Speake said he recommends flushing it yearly.

“The tankless run water through a little coil of pipes and the calcium and the mineral in our water builds up,” Speake explained. “It’ll kind of close the pipe up, where I’ve seen them close completely.”

REPLACE WASHING MACHINE HOSES

A second chore to consider: replace washing machine hoses.

“Manufacturers recommend changing those about every three to five years. Personally, when I was a kid, I remember waking up and a milk jug floating across my kitchen floor,” said Speake. “A hose busted and flooded our house.”

REPLACE CRACKING, PEELING CAULK

Speake said caulking your bathroom is another repair you shouldn’t put off, “Water can find its way into the sheetrock, in the wood and cause mold.”

Remove peeling caulk and reapply, making sure the product is made for bathrooms and wet environments.

TAKING CARE OF YOUR AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM

When the heat is on, Kyle Robison with Milestone, said homeowners can help their air conditioning systems work more efficiently with regular, professional tune-ups.

Robison pointed to the condenser unit outside, saying, “I think a lot of people are thinking I can grab my water hose here, wash the outside unit. Basically, what that's doing is pushing that dirt to the inside of the unit itself.”

“Proper maintenance, what our service technicians are going to do, is going to actually pull the top end of this and clean it from the inside out,” Robison added.

Robison said something homeowners can do themselves: replace air filters regularly and keep air vents free of debris.

“Even taking up a broom, just clean it off a little bit. Make sure your system is turned off. You don't want to be sucking that stuff back up into that unit,” said Robison.

Resist the urge to close interior doors of rooms you’re not using. Robison said it does not improve the efficiency of a central air conditioning system.

“Leaving your bedroom doors open during these hot summer times right now is actually the best thing for the system. Get it properly circulating through there,” he said.

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