Taking Care Of The Things Around Your Home

If you are a new home owner, you want to make sure you have a clear understanding of the different areas to stay on top of around your home. By properly maintaining your home you will help to ensure your home doesn't get damaged and cost you a lot of money in repairs. This article will touch on maintenance tips for your plumbing, roof, central air conditioning system and locks.

Plumbing

Your plumbing system needs to be kept free of debris and items that shouldn't be put down the drain or garbage disposal. Make sure you never put oil or grease down the drains. Never put egg shells, bones, fruit pits, pasta and fibrous foods into the garage disposal.  Also, don't flush anything down your toilet except human waste and toilet paper.

You can clean your drains by putting white vinegar and baking soda into them. This mixture will cause a fizzing foam to develop that will help to clear the drains of gunk. Allow the moisture to fizz for a few minutes, then rinse it down with hot water.

Roofing

The first thing you want to check is that your rain gutters are free of leaves, twigs and other debris. Otherwise, rain water can cause damage to the sides of your house and even to the edges of your roof. Cut back any tree branches that are getting too close to the roof.

Watch for roof damage that comes in the form of leaks, damaged shingles or missing shingles. Have these problems taken care of as soon as possible or they can lead to worse problems.

Central air conditioning system

One of the most important things for you to do for your central air conditioning system is to check the air filter regularly and clean or replace it when it's dirty. Also, dust off the registers in each room to cut down on the amount of allergens that get blown into the rooms. Make sure all the registers are open so too much pressure isn't put on the system, leading to the development of leaks.

Check the compressor outside and make sure it isn't taking on too much direct sunlight. If it is, then add an awning or something to give it shade. Also, keep the area directly around it free of debris, weeds and other foliage growth.

Window and door locks

You want to make sure your home is secured with good window and door locks. This will help to decrease your chances of having someone break right in to your house and steal whatever they want, or even vandalize the place. Have a locksmith come out to your home and look at all the locks. They can change out any they feel aren't good and replace them with secure ones. Contact a lock business, such as Hicks Safes & Locks Inc, for more information. 

Now that you have a little better understanding of some basic things to do to care for the systems around your home, you can keep things going smoothly and prevent some repair issues.