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Keeping Your Water Heater Strong All Winter Long

January 5, 2021 by chorton Leave a Comment

It is never easy to have your own water heater to stop functioning, but it’s worse throughout the winter. To make certain your water heater is appropriate to survive the whole season, here are a few hints for regular maintenance which you are able to perform.

As you pay these things, you could even run a mini-assessment of your water heater well being to spot any warning signals or possible dangers that might have to be adjusted prior to the temperature drops.

Assess the Valve
Even only a couple of minutes of yearly maintenance can stop unnecessary malfunctions and tumultuous breakdowns.

If a lot of stress builds up, however, your own water heater tank may actually burst. To discharge pressure and make sure yours is in tiptop shape, put a bucket underneath your water heater’s discharge pipe and then raise the pressure-release valve. Water must release at this time. If it does not, the valve has to be replaced.

Get the Tank Flushed
Among the most typical water heater repair tasks is that a tank cleaning. This eliminates built-up residue, sediment and dirt which accumulate through the year. Experts advocate yearly imports, which may be achieved at an inexpensive price. Possessing a tech run the cleaning may also guarantee your heater is working properly as they will also do an expert review. If they detect any other difficulties, they can notify you about the danger and provide possible solutions. You are able to add these fixes to the present task or schedule them later at your own convenience.

Set the Temperature
If your heater does not have an integrated temperature indicator, you may use a typical cooking thermometer to check the water temperature.

Your tank may require flushed or there might be a mechanical problem that needs dealt with.

Insert Insulation
If your water heater is just a decade old or more older, it may not be suitably insulated. Newer versions come insulated to reduce heat loss and preserve system stability. Nevertheless, older versions will need a fiberglass coat. If you are not certain the way to security insulate your furnace along with its own plumbing, this task can easily be achieved in a couple of hours by a licensed plumber.

Nobody wishes to take care of cold water at the midst of winter. To make sure your home’s water remains warm and nice all season long, assess your water heater and also do some simple maintenance. If you are unsure about something or you observe a issue, have an expert come have a peek at it. The earlier you catch potential issues, the easier they are to look after!

Filed Under: Blog, Home Improvements Tagged With: Blog, homeowner tips, tips

Expensive Mistakes Your Making on Your Home

November 30, 2020 by chorton Leave a Comment

Homes cost a lot of money to maintain. But are you spending extra money unnecessarily on upkeep?

Traditional Light Bulbs. If you still have incandescent light bulbs in your home, you could be throwing a lot of money away every month on inflated electric bills. Over its life span, an incandescent bulb can use $180 worth of electricity. A CFL will only use $41 worth of electricity over the same time period. Even better is the LED bulb, which only uses $30 per bulb.

Leaky Faucet. A leaky faucet can waste more than 3,000 gallons per year, which is enough water to take more than 180 showers. Some of us live in areas where water is plentiful, but for those of us in areas plagued with drought, this could be costing you a fortune. Fix or replace your leaky faucet and save a ton on your water bill.

Air Filters. We all sometimes forget to change out the air filters for our HVAC systems or accidentally buy the wrong size. But using the wrong filter or a dirty filter can increase your power bill and cause expensive problems for your furnace down the road. Use the correct filters for your system, and set a reminder to change them after the recommended amount of time. You won’t regret it.

Customizing Temperature. Invest in a customizable thermostat. If you’re away at the office all day, you can program your heater to shift down a few degrees while you’re gone and then shift back up shortly before you return home. Heating or cooling an empty home wastes a lot of money in energy costs.

Air Vents. Is one room in your home hot, while the others are cold? Oftentimes homeowners will crank up the air conditioning in the whole house to combat hot temperatures in one area. Instead, adjust air vents to direct the flow of air more evenly throughout your entire home. Professionals will come regulate this to ensure that your entire home is receiving the same amount of air conditioning or heating.

Over Watering Lawn. Many homeowners have their sprinkler systems programmed to come on in the early morning hours for optimum lawn health. This can become a problem, however, if you’re never around to see what you’re actually watering. A broken sprinkler head could be causing a fountain, or the trajectory of your sprinkler may be directed at a fence instead of your lawn. Periodically run your sprinklers during the day so you can see how they are performing when you’re not around.

Water Heater Temperature. Unless you have a tankless water heater, your water heater is keeping the water in its tank hot 24/7. If you don’t keep an eye on the temperature as each season changes, you may be paying too much to heat your water. Decrease the temperature in the summer, and bump it back up when winter comes.

Leaky Windows and Doors. Leaky windows and doors are great places for cold, winter winds to enter your home. Many homeowners simply ignore them and crank up their heaters. Caulk leaky windows and put rubber seal around doors to keep winter winds out and warmth in.

Handyman. Don’t pay a handyman for a job that is simple enough to do yourself. If you’re unsure of how to do something, look up video tutorials online. Doing simple tasks yourself can save you a lot of money.

Curled Shingles. If you see any possible issues with your roof, repair them as soon as possible, as this will save you significant costs later. Don’t ignore problems on your roof!

Filed Under: Blog, Home Improvements Tagged With: advice, homeowner tips, tips

Tips for Managing Water Heater Installation

November 19, 2020 by chorton Leave a Comment

Getting a new water heater installed at your house isn’t something that you have to do very often. With that in mind, it’s important to ensure that any installation is done properly to keep it from causing damage to your home or wasting energy.

Ideally, a new water heater should last around ten years with proper maintenance. Whether your old one is breaking down or you just built a new house, you can use these tips to manage the installation process:

When to Install a New Water Heater

When a water heater breaks, all kinds of things can happen. A faulty unit can leak water all over the floor and ruin the building materials. You could be caught by surprise by a cold shower when you least expect it. Many people choose to install a new water heater once theirs reaches a certain age or fails an inspection. You may also need to arrange for a replacement if yours makes strange noises or springs a small leak.

Figure Out Your Preferences

There’s more that goes into purchasing a water heater than you may think. For instance, newer tankless models provide an endless supply of hot water. This upgrade might be your best option if you have a large family and are constantly running out of hot water. There are also electric and gas styles along with different sizes. A water heater contractor can help you determine the one that’ll best fit your household’s needs.

Choose a Professional Installer

At first glance, replacing a hot water heater might seem simple. However, there’s far more that goes into a proper installation than meets the eye. Hot water heaters have the potential to be dangerous. Faulty installations can lead to explosions that can cause scalding water and debris to go flying. A professional installer also knows how to make sure that all of the connections and hoses are sealed tight. This prevents potentially damaging gas and water leaks.

Schedule the Installation at a Convenient Time

Unless there’s an unusual situation, it only takes a few hours to install a water heater. However, a typical installation does require the water that leads to the unit to be turned off. This means that the best time to have the heater installed is when you don’t need to bathe or wash dishes. Most people find that the later morning to midday hours work best for convenient installations.

There’s nothing like enjoying a hot bath or shower. And hot water is also essential for keeping your house sanitary. If you suspect that your home’s current water heater is having issues, then start arranging for a new one to be installed today. Acting now can prevent serious damage from a faulty unit, and you’ll love having a steady stream of hot water for bathing and cleaning!

Filed Under: Blog, Buying a home, Home Improvements, Selling Your Home Tagged With: Blog, buying a home, home remodel, homeowner tips, remodeling

Winterizing Your Home

November 11, 2020 by chorton Leave a Comment

Winterizing your home is important and as all seasons impact your house, but maybe no other period affects it over just winter. The chilly temperatures, rain, snow and freezing rain combine to make it a year to not be dismissed.

Winterizing Your HomeTo make certain that you don’t have any unnecessary repair costs this winter, follow these seven easy steps while preparing for the winter. They’re short and sweet–and will help you save money in the long term.

How to Prepare Your Home for Winter Weather

Preparing a house for the winter may seem overwhelming, but these hints can typically be achieved inside a weekend, and you’ll be more prepared for whatever weather comes your way.

 

 

1. Clean Your Gutters

You need to do this each season, but before winter may be the most crucial moment. If your area receives a whole lot of snow, then your residence might need to keep that extra weight. If your gutters have an excessive amount of weight on these, they are pulled out of your house.

But maybe the most significant explanation is that in case you do not clean your gutters, your house might get water damage. As ice and snow melts and refreeze immediately, the devastation inflicted on your house might cost tens of thousands of dollars. Be certain that the water has somewhere to go as it melts so it’s kept away from the residence.

2. Recaulk Your Windows and Doors

Recaulk your doors and windows annually to avoid water damage and heat reduction. A caulk gun and tubing outside caulk will cost you about $20, and it is easy to do it in a day.

To be clear, you must just caulk around the exterior perimeter of your doors and windows’ molding. Use outside silicone caulk since it is less influenced by extreme temperatures–meaning it will not shrink and enlarge as the seasons shift.

To caulk your windows and windows, cut on the exterior caulking tube in a small angle together with your caulk gun (many caulking guns have an inner blade for this). Insert the tube to the rifle and twist the handle before the round pad is pressed closely into the tube. Caulking should begin to come from this hole that you cut once enough power is used.

Then use a thin line of caulk throughout the door or window molding into your residence. Employing a latex-gloved finger, then gently press down on the caulk to spread it out so that it fills all the very small cracks and cracks until it’s smooth.

3. Get Your Roof Inspected

This measure is most likely the most ignored yet most crucial step when planning a home for winter. It is always best to have a roofing contractor inspect your roof for damage.

Any contractor you hire to perform a review should also be in a position to perform any minor repairs within a day (replacement shingles is usually a fast process). It may cost you more than you’d love to invest, but failing it for an whole winter might easily result in much more repair bills in the future.

Summer rainstorms are renowned for wreak havoc on a roof, so it is important you fix any damage prior to your roof receives its toughest test: snow.

4. Reverse Your Ceiling Fans

As you heard in high school, hot air rises. Reversing the management of every one of your buffs will produce an updraft, which then will push any heated atmosphere pressed from the area’s ceiling. By maintaining warm atmosphere, you’re use heat better, which should decrease electricity costs. Even in the event that you don’t have some rooms with high ceilings, then do this one when the weather turns.

To reverse your enthusiast’s management, ensure that the fan is off, then click on the switch over the blades. In case you’ve got a remote-controlled enthusiast, you need to see an option for reversing the fan’s management on the remote.

5. Inspect Your Chimney

To maintain a home safe, clean and inspect your chimney before a burning period –even when wood isn’t your principal source of warmth, and you simply use your fireplace for decorative motives.

If you burn wood, residue of creosote build up on the inside of the chimney. Creosote is cancerous and extremely flammable. When a lot of it builds up on your chimney, the smoke from a fire may make it to ignite, which then can lead to a chimney fire. Chimney’s are the cause of many house fires.

If you would like to go the excess mile, then look at installing a steel lining, to help safeguard your house in case of a chimney fire.Fireplace for Winter

6. Drain the Fuel Out Of The Little Gas-Powered Engines

Gasoline does not last forever; actually, it decomposes fast. When this occurs in an engine (for instance, a lawn mower or weed eater) it may get the engine’s carburetor to gunk up, so you might not have the ability to get it started again if winter is finished.

To protect against this, you may either put in a fuel stabilizer or allow the machine burn all the gas using it last time in late summer/early collapse and letting it run till it shuts off. Should you do that, your machinery will continue longer and begin considerably more readily in the spring.

7. Assess Your Insurance Coverage

before winter is a fantastic time to confirm your insurance policy coverage. In case you’ve completed any renovations on the summer that may add value to your house, make sure that the extra value is insured by your policy if anything happens in the winter. You also need to check what your supplier offers for items like ice and roof damage to find out whether you might choose to add extra protection.

The Main Point
Organizing a house for winter is not a marathon, however it will require a little bit of forethought. But should you just take the seven easy steps above, you will probably spend less on maintenance than you used to.

Filed Under: Home Improvements, Real Estate Advice Tagged With: first time home buyer, homeowner tips, Homes for sale Stephenville TX, Preferred Properties of Texas, real estate advice, real estate tips, stephenville tx

REALTORS Function to Protect You From Fraud

November 6, 2020 by chorton Leave a Comment

RealtorsRealtors protect you from fraud with such large sums of cash involved, property transactions are prime targets for scammers. 1 fraud involves offenders who deceive homebuyers to wiring their deposit money into the offenders’ bank account. When the cash is deposited to the incorrect accounts, it is instantly lost in a labyrinth of bank moves. The buyers’ funds are tough to regain.

Pros Looking Out For The Interests
REALTORS®–these property brokers who combine the federal, state, and local associations of REALTORS®–work together to make property transactions as secure as they may be. Your REALTOR® will talk to you about measures you can take to prevent scams. Texas REALTORS® also offers a flier its associates can share with customers that will assist you understand how to stop property cable fraud.

A Century of Protecting Real Estate Sellers and Buyers
REALTORS® at Texas are setting the greatest standards for professionalism for 100 decades. In reality, 1 reason the institution was made in 1920 was in reaction to unscrupulous businesspeople. All these “curbstoners,” as they were called, were cheating fair Texans in property scams, so moral real estate agents came to do something about it. These professionals formed an institution that worked tirelessly to demand property grants in Texas. REALTORS® also was the driving force to make the Texas Real Estate Commission, the state entity that governs real estate permit holders and protects customers in matters of actual property trades. You may depend on Texas REALTORS to continue to battle on behalf of top criteria and customer protection in the long run.

Working With a REALTOR® Gives You Peace of Mind
A real estate transaction can be a complicated and large financial decision. It is wonderful to know that somebody is in your side, looking out for your sake. Your REALTOR® puts your interests , and REALTORS in Texas work together to create property transactions and possession better for everybody.

Contact a Realtor at Preferred Properties of Texas when you are looking for homes for sale in Stephenville, TX

Filed Under: Blog, Buying a home, Real Estate Advice, Selling Your Home Tagged With: advice, Blog, buying a home, buying homes, comanche, comanche texas, erath county, first time home buyer, homeowner tips, homes for sale, Homes for sale Stephenville TX, Preferred Properties of Texas

Are Home Warranties Worth the Cost?

August 31, 2020 by chorton Leave a Comment

While homeowners insurance protects your home against unforeseen circumstances, a home warranty, which costs an average of $550 per year, is a convenience program that covers the normal wear and tear on the major mechanical and electrical systems in a house, says Art Chartrand, counsel and administrator of the National Home Service Contract Association. Your home’s heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems, the water heater, sump pump and kitchen stove are some of the items covered by a home warranty.

Home warranties, also called home service contracts, are nothing new, but more real estate agents have recommended them in recent years as the housing market has been flooded with foreclosures and short sales — properties that were often neglected or poorly maintained.

“A home warranty is like an insurance policy that protects you after the home sale, but you have to pay close attention to what is and isn’t covered,” says Tony Martinez, a real estate agent with Re/Max North San Antonio in San Antonio, Texas. “Do your homework and research companies online, and make sure you document all of your communications with the warranty company and the service technicians they hire on your behalf.”

Read the fine print

Consumers sometimes make the erroneous assumption that a home warranty covers structural defects or insurable incidents normally included in homeowners insurance coverage, such as damage from natural disasters, burglary or fires, Chartrand says. Some also mistakenly believe that the policies function as emergency home service contracts, meaning the problem will be diagnosed and fixed within hours, which isn’t the case.

When you file a claim, your home warranty company chooses a local contractor that’s been vetted and sends it out to diagnose your problem for a set service fee, which you’re responsible for paying. If the contractor doesn’t find an issue or you disagree with the findings, you can ask the warranty company to send a different contractor out to give a second opinion, Chartrand says.

Getting a claim approved comes down to understanding what your policy does and does not cover. Most home warranties expire after a set time period and don’t cover every little thing in your home — think leaky faucets or peeling paint. That puts the onus on you to read your contract and ask questions, says Katherine Hutt, national spokeswoman for the Better Business Bureau.

You might opt for a certain level of coverage based on your home’s size, condition and age. Beware of scammers who might offer a half-price home warranty contract, then disappear when you try to file a claim, Chartrand says. Consumers should be cautious of such offers and research home warranty providers before choosing one.

Negotiate repairs in the home inspection

A home inspection won’t uncover every major problem, but it can lay the groundwork for getting the most from your home warranty.

Filed Under: Buying a home Tagged With: advice, buying a home, buying homes, first time home buyer, home for sale, homeowner tips, Homes for sale Stephenville TX, Preferred Properties of Texas

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Preferred Properties of Texas

Preferred Properties of Texas

The Preferred Way to Buy and Sell Property
for Over 25 Years
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(254) 965-7775|Contact Preferred Properties of Texas
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