Rain Sensor

Whenever it rains shut off the sprinkler system for the following day. Natural rain is much more effective than city water. City water often times contains chemicals that inhibits the grass. It is not enough to cause any damage, but it does make this source less effective.

Installing a rain sensor that coordinates with your sprinkler system control will automatically stop redundant watering. The rain sensor is typically mounted up by the gutter to catch the rain. The sprinkler system control then detects the rain and shuts down the system for the following day.

Patching Walls

Damage to walls is very common. Whether it is is a hole through the wall or deep scratch it can fixed with a relatively low cost and time commitment. 

The scratch below was the result of moving furniture. The scratch was a lot rough originally but I took a razor to it in order to remove paper fragments from the sheetrock. Cleaning the edges will help the spackling to hold.

After cleaning up the scratch or hole, wipe away any dust. Then fill in the hole with spackling using a skinny putty knife. Make sure there are no gaps. Then smooth over the spackling with a larger putty knife to level it with the wall. It is better to have too much than too little. After the spackling has dried you can sand it down. If it is too low more spackling has to be added.

Run a flat edge (eg putty knife or ruler) over the spot to make sure its level. Then paint over the spot to match the surrounding wall. If you don't have matching paint in storage or don't know the color cut off a part of the top layer of the sheetrock. Then bring the sample into Home Depot or Lowe's to be matched. Ideally the sample should be at least 1 inch by 1 inch.

Window Caulking

The edges of every window should be sealed with caulking to prevent energy losses and water damage. But after time the seal will become brittle and crack.

Use a utility or putty knife to remove the old caulk. Be sure the area is clean and dry. Then apply the new caulking in a steady stream (avoid stopping). Smooth over the caulk with a putty knife or a finger and examine the seal for any thin layers. Add more caulking to thin spots and gaps. If the caulk is applied too thin it will crack when dried. 

Notice the gap in the center and the crack to the right.

Hood Filter Cleaning for Stove

The hood filters need to be cleaned a couple times a year. It only takes a couple minutes and helps to keep the flow of air going into the hood. If let go the build up will eventually plug the filters.

 There are reusable filters in this hood so they have to be cleaned and reinserted. The filters come out by a simple clipping mechanism. 

There are cleaners available for soaking that are good at removing the grease build. Set them in the solution to soak over night. 

The filters here are fairly clean so I just washed them with soap and water. After letting them completely dry I reinserted them back into the hood.

The whole process took less than 10 minutes per filter and no costs because I didn't need a special cleaner. If you disposable filters simply replace them.

AC Drain Cleaning

During the hotter months the air conditioning system runs constantly. The evaporator (inside part of the system that is integrated into the furnace) cools the air and simultaneously pulls out water vapor. The water vapor condenses on the evaporator and drips water into a pan. The water then drains out of the house.

The evaporator is the upper section with the green garden hose attached.

 When the AC is constantly running a lot of water is draining. In hot humid environments the drain pipe can become plugged from mold growth. This plug will lead to the drain pan overflowing and creates a potential for water damage.

For homes in mild and hot environments the evaporator/furnace unit is typically in the attic. Locations in the upper floors of the house creates a bigger potential for disaster with water leaks. Also, the drain pipes are typically much longer and is more susceptible to plugging.

Condensation drains down the green hose.

The solution takes about 5 minutes of time and a couple dollars. All you need to do is clean the drain tube with a cup of regular household bleach. There is a special opening just for this purpose (indicated by the red circle in the image above). I like to follow the bleach with some water to be sure it flushes all the way through the system. Use a funnel to ensure none of the bleach of water spills.

For units in the upper floors of a house a lot of times the drain leads to the yard. To prevent killing the grass with bleach find the end of the drain pipe and place a bowl underneath to catch the fluid. Catching the fluid also helps to verify the drain isn't already plugged.

Double Pane Windows

One of the best insulators is air. To harness the excellent heat properties of air double pane windows were developed. Having two panes of glasses traps about 1/2" space of air that significantly reduces energy loss due to conduction. 

Also important with windows is the shading coefficient. It is a value from zero to one where zero is the best score a window can receive. It is determined by how much solar resistance of window and is dependent mostly on the color and reflectivity of the glass.

One extra benefit of double pane windows is noise reduction. The additional insulation acts as an additional sound noise barrier.