March 2021

Ways To Get The Most Out Of Your Real Estate Sale

Three basic steps to selling your home are pricing it right, staging it well, and negotiating. Sounds easy, right? Then why is it always such a complicated process? Listen to the experts and you will find out that doing these things well can take time, patience and persistence. Here are some tips that can help.

Nothing is more true than the adage buy low and sell high. In today’s market with foreclosures rising this cannot be any more true. Often times foreclosures are sold at less than face value, leaving you with a great opportunity to buy and re-sell at a marked up price. If you want to turn a profit in the real estate market, turning foreclosures is the way to go.

Decorating the inside of your residence with seasonal items can make selling your house easier. Choose a few inexpensive products, such as window treatments that display the colors of the season, and complete a mini-makeover on your home. This will make your residence look fresh and well taken care of, giving the buyer a more favorable impression of the property.

Whether you intend to sell your home or simply refinance it, having its value assessed should be done very early in the process. An assessor’s valuation of your home will dictate how it is treated by potential buyers, real estate agents and loan officers. If you make your own guess about the value of your home before a professional appraises it, you are counting your chickens long before they hatch.

Selling your real estate comes down to three basic steps – pricing it right, staging it well, and negotiating. These steps don’t always come together so easily though. As we have explained in this article, following a few helpful tips can make the process easier, and your home sell quicker too.…

3 Tips to Make Your Home More Comfortable in Warm Weather

Warm Weather

Homeowners may see some spikes in their energy costs when warm weather heads their way. Cooling a home may seem like an unaffordable proposition on hot and humid days, and some homeowners simply give up and resign themselves to being uncomfortable. Here are some things that you can do to keep cool without having to contend with a skyrocketing energy bill.

1. Get Preventative Maintenance on Your AC

If you wait until your AC stops working all together before you call for service, you’re probably missing out on some important preventative maintenance issues. Annual cleaning and calibration is a standard requirement for most systems. A system that isn’t getting regular maintenance may not be producing cold air adequately. For help with air conditioner service Burlington NC, get in touch with a company that has experience serving residential customers in your area.

2. Insulate Your Home

Most people associate insulation with home heating needs rather than home cooling needs, but insulation works both ways. Having big empty cavities in the top level of your home, for example, will cause your air conditioned air to drift upwards in an area where you don’t really need it. Also, not having enough insulation in your attic will make your home more vulnerable to the heat from the sun’s rays.

3. Cover Your Windows

Unless you’re in a room and making active use of the daylight coming in through the windows, you should make it a point to keep your shades down or your curtains closed. Sunlight pouring into a room can raise the temperature dramatically. When you do go into a room after not using it and the sun has been coming in for hours, it may feel stiflingly hot. Keeping your windows covered can keep temperatures more comfortable and prevent your thermostat from turning on your AC when you don’t really need it on.…

How to Remove Rust from Tap Water?

Rust

Nothing can destroy iron but rust. Rust is a reddish-brown oxide resulting in the catalysis of air moisture and water. Rusting is the corrosion of iron and its alloys such as manganese, nickel, and steel. Most pipes in the plumbing system among Australian households are made of iron and steel. That is why rust is a common problem in tap water. According to a licensed plumber for taps repair, there are several ways on how to remove rust from tap water. But first, let’s see how rust contaminates our tap water and what are its effects.

How Does Rust Contaminate our Tap Water?

Rust is commonly formed when oxygen in the air comes in contact with water. As air circulates in your water plumbing system, rust is likely to form and mix with the tap water supply. Some water sources may naturally contain iron as it can be found among rocks and soils. And when irons corrode, they form into rust that is mixed with water. This commonly happens for those with the water supply coming from underground wells. Traditional plumbing systems commonly used iron and steel pipes. As these pipes age, rust forms and leeches off in your pipes flowing with water that comes out in our taps.

Having your plumbing system inspected by plumbers for tap repairs can prevent rust contamination in your tap water system. Using CCTV, they can check any signs of aging, corrosion, and damages to your pipes. If they see rusting pipes, they will recommend an immediate replacement to prevent bigger problems.

What are the Effects of Rust in Tap Water?

As rust contaminates our tap water, its common effects are:

  • A strange metallic taste in our tap water. This is because rust is an iron oxide and iron is a type of metal.
  • Stains on your plumbing fixtures. Rust is a reddish-brown oxide. When they flow out in tap water and reach your plumbing fixture, the colour grows stronger as they come in contact with water. This results in stains in your kitchen sinks, tanks, and toilet bowls. Rusty water may also stain the clothes running in your washing machines.
  • Water discolouration. One visible sign of rust in water is discolouration. Clean water is naturally clear. But when contaminated with rust, it turns into a brown or orange colour.
  • You might also notice some small pieces of rust that float in the tap water.

How to Remove Rust on Tap Water? 

Now that you have an idea of how rust contaminates your tap water and its effects, here are some ways on how to remove rust from tap water.

Filtration System

Some households install a filtration system to remove rust on tap water. The filters keep away the rust from entering the tap where you get your water supply. This method is commonly used by a household with an underground well as their water supply.

Water Softener

Using water softeners can also be one way to remove rust in tap water. They eliminate minerals in hard water including rust. The most common water softeners are salt-based. They convert rust into sodium to keep it away from tap water.

Pipe Replacement

Rust contamination in your tap water supply is most likely caused by broken, cracked, or old pipes. As such, you may need to call plumbers for tap repairs to do the replacement. The latest technology guarantees rust-free pipes for 50 to 100 years. This is through pipe relining.

3 Ways Improper Plumbing System Could Make You Sick

Plumbing

Dirty water can make you sick. Thus, bad plumbing, your main source of clean water has a significant potential of getting your sick too. However, this can be prevented with proper maintenance and making sure that your plumbing at home is in top working condition.

On top of bacteria and viruses that may be present in your water due to bad plumbing, other issues such as leaking gas, or sewage gas can make you sick. There are several health risks for a family that lives in a home with poor and improper plumbing. To avoid these, here are some of the most common health risks from bad plumbing and how you can prevent them.

Sewer Gases

Gas released from your sewer does not only smell bad, they are also bad for your health too. Blocked drains, clogs and back-ups are the most common cause of sewer gas being released from your drains. Even minor issues such as dry taps can also trigger these gases to enter your homes. If you keep these issues unattended, your home is at risk of getting sick or worse, gas poisoning. If you see blocked drain Sydney at your homes or if you have back-up and clog problems with your home plumbing, call your trusted blocked drain Sydney contractors to fix the problem immediately.

Sewer gases can also leak into your homes when there are leaks in the pipes and vents of your home plumbing. Cracked pipes are also potential culprits for sewer gases. They are at high risk for human waste exposure and may leak into your homes. Blocked air vents and dry plumbing can also potentially cause harmful gases to be released into your homes through the pipe systems.

Bacterial Infections

Bacteria can also enter drains and water systems in your home. Every time you wash something – hands, dishes, pets, and clothes, bacteria goes down the drain. Ideally, bacteria leave the drain system through the sewers. However, when the bacterial growth in the pipes is quite high, it can be a cause of health problems in your home.

When pipes are clogged, bacteria have a hard time passing through the sewer, when this occurs, an overgrowth can be observed in the pipes, causing smells that can be bad for the health. Water heating systems can be infested with bacteria too. When the temperature is too low, the chances of Legionella Pneumophila is high. This type of bacteria can cause bad infections and can be deadly in severe cases.

Lead Contamination

Old pipes made from older plumbing materials can cause contamination and poisoning. Although lead contamination is quite rare in most homes, outdated plumbing can potentially cause several problems in your water supply at home. Small amounts of leads can mix together with your drinking water. The human body has the capability to release lead naturally, however, too much build up in your body is quite dangerous and can cause lead poisoning.

If you are not sure with the age of your plumbing pipes, it would be best to have them checked by a professional plumber before thinking of completely replacing them. A plumber can expertly access the condition of your pipes and give you the best recommendation possible to prevent lead contamination issues.

Viruses, bacteria and other contaminants may enter your plumbing at home without you noticing. To prevent these issues from accelerating to bigger problems like health issues and poisoning at home, it would be best to have your local plumber to regularly check and maintain your home plumbing. It is also a best practice to sanitise areas that have been exposed to leaks to prevent bacteria and viruses from infecting your homes.

Home Maintenance You Didn’t Know You Needed

Maintenance

There are some home maintenance tasks that you know you need to do to keep your house in tip-top shape. You may have even created a checklist that you go through at least twice a year. For many homeowners, however, some tasks get overlooked. Here are a few to make sure you include on your home maintenance list.

Clean the Refridgerator Coils

The coils on the back of your refrigerator cool and condense refrigerant. Over time, they can get dusty, which means they can’t release heat properly. The compressor works harder as a result, which can shorten the life of your fridge. Make sure to clean the coils regularly with a coil cleaning brush and vacuum. You’ll help your fridge live longer and keep your energy bills more manageable.

Inspect Your Drains

Perhaps you’ve noticed that your drains are moving a little slower than normal. They still drain eventually, and it’s not a major inconvenience. Or, maybe you’re able to clear up the issue for a while with a plunger.

Ideally, you should have your drains inspected periodically. While an inspection could show a minor clog, it may uncover an issue with your septic, resulting in the need for septic tank maintenance Orlando FL.

Drain Sediment From the Water Heater

You should aim to flush your water heater at least once a year. Over time, sediment can accumulate at the bottom, which can interfere with heating. In some cases, the lower heating element can fail completely. Periodically draining your water heater can help to remove sediment, extending the life of your water heater and ensure that you have plenty of hot water.

Regular home maintenance is critical. Spotting problems early can help to prevent more serious (and more expensive) issues later on. If you’ve been putting off your to-do list, there’s no better time than now to start.