​Have you ever heard of a p-trap? While the name may conjure up all sorts of different definitions, we can clear up any confusion by explaining how it works. Essentially, it’s a specifically designed bend between the horizontal and vertical piping under a sink drain or at the base of a toilet that looks like the shape of the letter P. Now that you’ve read that, you’re probably remembering that you’ve seen something like this a million times in your life.

But what does this thing do? Well, inside the deepest part of the bend lies a little bit of standing water. This water, along with the bend, helps to prevent sewer gas from traveling up into your home through the drain. It also gathers a small amount of debris from the water as it travels through the bend, helping to prevent clogs. These two effects are why it’s called a trap.

Perhaps you’ve started thinking about doing some home maintenance. It is good to take care of small jobs around your property as this is often the key to preventing the need for major repairs down the line.

One of the smaller tasks you can do is to regularly check and clean your bathroom extraction fan. While it doesn’t seem to be such an essential part of the home, many problems can arise if it is not working correctly. A bathroom fan is designed to extract moisture from the room which is very important when we consider that the bathroom is one of the most humid and moist rooms of the house.

For a bathroom extraction fan to function properly it needs to be attached to ductwork which reaches all the way to the home’s exterior. One problem that some properties have is that, instead of going outside of the home, the ductwork vents into the attic space. While you may not see a huge problem with this in your bathroom, it can create big problems for the attic by damaging materials and causing mold to grow.

If you notice that the bathroom fan is not working correctly it may be because it is clogged with dirt and dust. To prevent this, give it a good cleaning once a month. A fan that is not working as it can lead to moisture issues in the bathroom such as corroding metal fixtures, peeling or bubbling paint and excessive moisture on the bathroom’s ceiling and tile. So, it is clear to see how regular maintenance of even the smaller items in the home can lead to big savings later on.

​Protect Your Pipes
Harsh weather and cold temperatures can lead to bursting pipes and water damage which can be a costly repair. There are things we can do to avoid this. 

• Houses in colder climates might benefit from the use of approved plastic plumbing instead of steel or copper. 
• Shut off the water supply for exterior pipes and make sure they drained. 
• Sprinkler systems should also be turned off and compressed air can be used to purge the pipes and dry them out. Insulate all exposed pipes in cold areas in their entirety.  

Inspect and Maintain the Heating System
Make sure your heating works BEFORE you need it. Here are some quick checks to maintaining an active unit.

• Replace the air filter if it’s dirty.
• Raise the temperature on the thermostat to test the furnace. If should respond quickly, if not it might be broken.
• The tank should be full if the furnace is equipped with an oil or propane tank.

Roofs
Clean roofs and gutters will ensure that things don’t freeze up and lead to damage

• Make sure gutters are clean and free of debris. Frozen debris left in gutters allows for the formation of ice dams that prevent water from draining. Trapped water in the gutter can enter the house and lead to the growth of mold. 
• Replace any missing shingles.

In conclusion, winterizing your home is a great way to protect your home against damage caused by cold temperatures. Before it gets too cold, make this a yearly practice.

​As colder weather creeps in, there are countless things that a wise homeowner will need to do to keep their investment protected throughout the winter. We can’t cover all of them in one post, but here are just a few simple tips to get you thinking about what may still need to be done around your home.

Unfortunately, the winter season is when most house fires and carbon monoxide poisoning happens. For that reason, it’s important to make sure your chimney is cleaned and inspected before you really start using it, and test out your smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector to make sure your loved ones are protected.

Also, while low temperatures are a key source of issues, you may want to protect your home from other natural elements. For example, could your attic be a cozy home for some unwanted pests? Are the trees on your property a potential hazard?

We all love a beautiful sunny day, and our homes always look so warm and comforting with the sun shining on it. But that sunshine is a double-edged sword. Sunlight is both a good thing, and something that is very damaging as well.

UV rays are very harsh on a house. The key areas that are affected by the sun’s rays are the roof and siding. The roof has a layer of protection against sun damage in the granules. The granules on your roof act as part of its “sunscreen”. The issue is that the granules wear away over time. As this happens, your roof will be more prone to sun damage.

Siding is another area of your home that is affected by the sun. If you have vinyl siding, the color in the siding is slowly worn away day by day. This is especially true for vinyl siding that is darker in color. Another issue that can occur is with low-e windows. These types of windows are common on many homes nowadays, and are very energy efficient. The issue is that they reflect a great deal of the suns rays, and even concentrates them. So many times melted siding on the side of a home can appear seemingly randomly, but it is often just damage from the sun’s rays reflecting off of the windows andgoing at an angle.

The way you keep your home is entirely up to you. If you don’t care about having a mess, that is no one’s concern but yours, but if you are thinking of selling your home, you might want to give that some thought. It has been shown that homes that are cluttered are a lot less likely to sell than one that is clean and well-kept.
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This is not just because of the impression that it gives, but also due to the things that a prospective buyer can think when seeing a messy home.

One assumption is that pests could be hiding in messy areas of your home. It is virtually impossible to spot a rodent infestation if they have their pick of your home for hiding places.

​Another assumption is that there isn’t enough storage space in the home, causing you to store your things out in the open. Even if this isn’t the case, a cluttered home looks smaller than one that is straightened out.

​With everything going the way it has this year, people are in a more desperate state of mind than ever before. This kind of thing causes people to make bad decisions, perhaps even resorting to crime to solve their problems. Of course, we don’t want to alarm you needlessly, and hopefully, this will never happen to you. However, there are plenty of things that a homeowner can do to protect themselves from the threat of burglaries.

Good lighting around and inside your home is a major crime deterrent. Unless you live far away from civilization, the brighter your property is at night, the less chance there is that a robber would want to risk breaking into your home.

Also, give some thought to how your home and activity look from the outside. Does it look occupied? Do you have someone stay there while you’re away for a long time? What does your social networking account say about where you are right now?

​How do you feel when you see a snake in your backyard? Even though there aren’t that many dangerous snakes here in the US, many have an issue with any type of snake, especially so if it is close to their home. So, what can you do to discourage snakes from being in your yard? It comes down to removing the things that they want – food and shelter.

Many types of snakes live off of rodents, so if you have a lot of rodents in your yard, you’re also likely to have snakes there hunting them. Get rid of the rodents and you will most likely get rid of the snakes. There are traps and pesticides that you can use, the choice is really up to you, just be aware that rodents can be very good at figuring out how to overcome your traps, so you need to be smarter than them.

When it comes to shelter, keeping your lawn cut short will deny the snakes a good hiding place, and that can discourage them from getting into your yard. They also enjoy the heat from the sun in rocky areas, so if you can remove piles of rocks near your home, you will deny them an ideal place to live.