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.

AC Inspection

The refrigerant is the major driving force in the air conditioning system. It captures energy (heat) from inside the house and transfers it outside through a series of thermodynamic cycles.

The copper tubing carrying the refrigerant should be inspected at the beginning of each summer for leaks. Visually examine the tubing for cracks or oily drips (refrigerant). Pay particular attention to the soldered points of the tubing. If there is a leak you will need to call a professional.

One other indication of a refrigerant leak is an unusually high spike in your energy bill and the AC system will have a difficult time maintaining the proper temperature. To track energy spikes keep a record of each energy bill and compare the same month across the years.

Small Leaks

One of Benjamin Franklin's more famous quote's is that "a small leak will sink a great ship." Although your house will not sink it can certainly suffer a great deal of damage from water leaks. Being vigilant about inspecting water hoses and seals will save a great deal of damage later.

The usual suspects? Sinks, washing machines, refrigerators, toilets, water heaters and dish washers. Aside from sinks each of the other suspects has a small water supply hose. If the hose is plastic replace it every 2 years and think about upgrading to a braided stainless steel hose. The stainless steel version will only need to be replaced every 5 years and is also much better at preventing catastrophic leaks.

State Farm estimates about $150 million dollars in damage is done annually to homes in Canada and the US due to bursting hoses. A new hose only costs five to ten dollars. A small price to pay compared to water damage repair costs.